EastEnders' Kellie Bright announces third pregnancy in 'open and honest' post about IVF
"I believe it was meant to be"
EastEnders actress Kellie Bright and her husband Paul Stoker have announced they are expecting their third child together!
Kellie, who plays the role of Linda Carter on the BBC soap, announced her lovely news to OK! Magazine, revealing she underwent IVF with a frozen embryo.
Speaking to the publication about her previous struggles to conceive, 44-year-old Kellie said, "I want to be open and honest about this, because I think it's important for younger women to understand.
"It's important for women to know that, yes, you can have children in your forties and, yes, you can be lucky and do it naturally. But for a lot of us it doesn't work that way, so I wouldn't suggest leaving it late by choice."
Revealing she followed the same process as she did for her second child Freddy, Kellie added, "To set the scene, I really struggled getting pregnant with my second child. I was 34 when we naturally conceived Freddy but we couldn't get pregnant again. We tried for a long time and we got to a point, around the time I was doing Strictly, where we started to investigate IVF.
"I was 39 by this point and we went for it. It was successful. We managed to get four good, strong embryos. One became Gene, the other three went into the freezer."
Despite the first two embryos for her third child not working, Kellie's third attempt was successful, with the actress saying, "So this baby inside me now was the last one we had – the last chance of a pregnancy, because at 44 we were not going through IVF again. I believe it was meant to be."
See which other celebs are expecting babies in 2021:
Finn Tapp and Jess Hale
Love Island series six winner Finn Tapp and his girlfriend Jess Hale announced in July they are expecting their first child together. Finn shared the lovely news on Instagram, just a month after they picked up the keys to their first home.
Perrie Edwards and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Singer and Little Mix star Perrie Edwards announced in September she's expecting another baby with her fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The couple announced the news in a cute video on Instagram.
Dianne Buswell and Joe Sugg
Strictly Come Dancing star Dianne Buswell and her boyfriend Joe Sugg, who she met on the show back in 2018, announced in September they are expecting their second child together! Sharing the news in a cute Instagram video, the pair revealed they are expecting a baby boy in 2026.
Cardi B
Just days before dropping her album 'Am I The Drama?', American rapper Cardi B announced in September that she's pregnant with her fourth child! The new arrival will be her first with her boyfriend, NFL star Stefon Diggs.
Paloma Faith
Singer Paloma Faith announced in October that she's expecting her first child with her boyfriend Stevie Thomas. Sharing the lovely news in an Instagram post, the 44-year-old confirmed she's 18 weeks pregnant. Paloma is already a mum to two children with her ex Leyman Lahcine.
Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper
TV presenter Joel Dommett and his wife Hannah Cooper announced in November that they are expecting their second child together! The couple, who are already parents to their son Wilde, shared the news on social media, writing: ' 'Baby in mumma tummy. Hard to keep secrets with a toddler around'.
Ellie Goulding and Beau Minniear
Singer Ellie Goulding has revealed she is expecting her second child, her first with boyfriend Beau Minniear. The singer appeared on the red carpet at The Fashion Awards 2025 showing off her baby bump, wearing a cropped top.
Sienna Miller and Oli Green
At the same event as Ellie Goulding, actress Sienna Miller also announced her pregnancy, alongside her boyfriend Oli Green. Sienna is already a proud mum to her 13-year-old daughter Marlowe, whom she shares with her ex Tom Sturridge, and her 23-month-old daughter with Oli. The new arrival will be Sienna and Oli's second child together.
Sophie Kasaei and Jordan Brooks
TOWIE stars Sophie Kasaei and Jordan Brooks announced in December they are expecting their first child together! The couple have publicly documented their struggles to conceive, but announced the amazing news on social media that they are going to be parents. The pair revealed on the 2025 TOWIE Christmas special that their bundle of joy is due in mid-June 2026.
Kellie and her husband Peter welcomed their first child into the world through natural conception in December 2011, a boy called Freddy, before adding to their brood with Gene in November 2016.
Between the birth of their first two children, Kellie and Paul got married during an intimate ceremony in Cornwall in 2014.
Congratulations to Kellie and Paul on their lovely news! 👶
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