EastEnders' Danny Hatchard announces more big news after engagement

EastEnders star Danny Hatchard has shared some more exciting personal news, just weeks after announcing his engagement to longtime girlfriend Kerry Scouler.

The actor, best known for playing Lee Carter in the BBC soap, is set to become a father for the first time, with the couple revealing that they are expecting a baby girl.

Taking to Instagram, Kerry shared a series of sweet photos announcing her pregnancy, including a gender reveal cake with pink filling.

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"And somewhere along the way, our love became someone’s whole life. Baby girl coming January ‘27," she wrote in the accompanying caption.

The happy news comes just over a month after Danny popped the question during a romantic getaway to Amsterdam.

The couple announced their engagement in October, sharing photos from a picturesque boat trip, with Kerry proudly showing off her sparkling engagement ring.

"You & me forever? Don’t mind if ‘I do’," she captioned the post.

Their romance began in 2020 after Kerry, an EastEnders fan, decided to message Danny on social media after developing a crush on his character.

Six years later, the pair are preparing to tie the knot and welcome their first child together.

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Meanwhile, Danny has been keeping busy on screen after reprising his role as Lee Carter for a dramatic new storyline.

His return to Albert Square alongside on-screen sister Nancy (Maddy Hill) has seen the Carter family rocked by a shocking surrogacy twist.

Nancy revealed that she was carrying a baby for Lee and his former partner Jess, following the couple's struggles to conceive.

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However, complications arose after Lee and Jess separated, leaving him determined to raise the child as a single father.

The storyline marks Danny's latest return to the soap after departing as a regular cast member in 2017.

His comeback also comes ahead of the departure of his on-screen mother Linda Carter, played by Kellie Bright, who is leaving EastEnders after 13 years.

With a wedding and a baby on the way, it's certainly an exciting time for Danny both on and off screen.

EastEnders airs on Mondays-Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

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