EastEnders star Maddy Hill, who plays Nancy Carter, has confirmed she is pregnant in real life and expecting a baby girl, while filming a surrogacy storyline on the BBC soap.
Nancy Carter returned to Walford on Monday (October 5) to visit her younger brother Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) for legal advice. She urged Johnny to keep their meeting a secret from their mum, Linda (Kellie Bright), but later began to feel pains in her stomach.
Worried about his sister, Johnny demanded that Nancy be checked out by a doctor, only to be seen by Linda's secret lover, Max Branning (Jake Wood), who watched her jump into a taxi. Linda and her mum, Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), soon caught up with Nancy, only to discover she was pregnant, with no word on who the father was.
Surrogacy twist revealed
Later, Nancy showed up at Peacock Palace with the mystery man in tow, who turned out to be her other brother, Lee (Danny Hatchard), as fans squirmed at a possible incest plot. As the week went on, it became clear Nancy had agreed to be a surrogate for Lee and his partner, Jess, after they had suffered multiple miscarriages. In another twist, it was revealed that Lee and Jess had now separated, and he intended to keep the baby.
Following Maddy Hill's return to EastEnders as pregnant Nancy, she has confirmed she is also pregnant in real life and is expecting a baby girl.
Behind-the-scenes reveal
In a "day in the life" video on the EastEnders Instagram page, Maddy spoke about how she's glad she doesn't have to spend long on makeup because she needs to go for a wee about "every 10 minutes" while pregnant. Shortly afterward, Maddy went to chat with actress Kellie Bright, who portrays her on-screen mum, and seemed to reveal that she is expecting a baby girl.
Glancing at Maddy's bump, Kellie enquired, "How is she today?" prompting Maddy to respond, "She's lively today." Kellie continued, "Oh, she's a lively one," while Maddy mentioned that the baby enjoyed quiche, potato, and aubergine salad for lunch. "There's something joyful about playing a pregnancy, even when it's a complicated pregnancy," she later added.
Fan reaction
Maddy's behind-the-scenes footage sparked a reaction from viewers who "didn't realise" that she is pregnant on the soap and in real life. Taking to the comments, one person asked: "Is she pregnant in real life? Looks very real x". A second added: "Omg is she actually pregnant irl? Looks so real", while a third chimed in: "Wahhhhhh such big congrats."
"Congratulations, Maddy! Good to have Nancy back!", shared one viewer as another echoed the sentiment: "Was saying to my friend bump looks real, didn't realise it's her real life pregnancy, congrats Maddy!" Meanwhile, Kellie Bright wrote on the post: "I love you @maddyhill90, and I can't wait to get my hands on that baby!"
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
