EastEnders Lacey Turner teases Christmas plans amid huge BBC soap storyline

Lacey Turner has opened up about Christmas ahead of the dramatic EastEnders episode.

The actress who is best known for playing loveable Stacey Slater in the hit BBC One soap has had her fair share of storylines over the years, bravely taking on the topic of battling bipolar disorder and even finding herself involved in a string of brutal murders. While details surrounding this Christmas special are hidden under lock and key, Lacey, 36, has revealed that when fans are glued to their TV screens – she will more than likely be joining them.

Fans of the hit soap have been gripped by the ongoing storyline surrounding the downfall of Cindy Beale, who has been having an affair with her ex-husband George Knight's son, Junior – which many believe will be revealed over the festive period. Although she had a huge part in last year's Christmas special which involved the cold blooded murder of Keanu Taylor and covering up the crime, Lacey is hoping for a more relaxed week this year.

What will Lacey be doing this Christmas though? "We all like to be together at Christmas, which is lovely," she exclusively told the Mirror, before adding that while she "loves" to host – she refuses to cook, joking that she's "dreadful" but her husband is an incredible chef.

"We'll sit down at 3pm, have lunch, everybody's got a different program that they want to watch throughout the afternoon, evening, and you sort of stick to those rules, and that's how it is," she revealed before adding: "It's nice because the kids can play with their presents, there's games and you can play with the kids – it's lovely. I love everybody being together and I love doing the same thing every year."

"I love Christmas, I'm a real Christmas person, so I get really excited about Christmas," she said. Lacey went on to add: "I love being with family and friends, I love the food, I love giving presents, I love everything about it." But what does an actress at the heart of one of the nations biggest soaps prepare for the festive period?

Lacey went on to reveal: "We have a date that work finishes and that's that, work is done and then you've got two weeks of family time. I think because I love it so much, I think it's so easy to do, I love it." Lacey revealed that she had started Christmas shopping quite early on, mainly for her children as they were "easy" before tackling the grown ups in her circle.

The actress admits that buying for her mum and nan were "easy" as they're a "sentimental" family, adding: "You sort of feel like you miss out on things as the year goes on, every year we've bought each other a photo book and my mum and nan have always said it's their favourite present, they look forward to it every year."

But it's not just her mum and Nan who love this as one of Lacey's sisters lives abroad, while another often travels, meaning that they can share their highlights without seeing one another all the time. However, she admits that there are huge tips when it comes to buying presents and she would much rather have something with a sentimental meaning behind it.

This however, didn't resonate with one present she received from her husband Matt Kay, who she married in 2017. She revealed: "My worst gift is a football shirt, and it actually came from my husband," the couple weren't married at the time but Lacey recalled thinking: "Why the hell would I want a football shirt? It was a very strange present but I did feel bad. I did pretend I liked it, which I think most people do.

"There's a lot of people are disappointed with their gifts. I mean, the research that CEWE did shows that 73% of people are disappointed. That's such a massive percentage of people. That's crazy!" But Matt has improved his gift, every year, he buys Lacey a mug with several images of their children on it, instantly brightening up her day.

In September this year, Lacey announced that she and Matt were expecting their third child together. "I'm excited for all of us really," she told us. She went on to add: "It's like another chapter in our little story, yeah I am excited. There's nothing better than a newborn and a newborn cuddle, so that would be lovely. Yeah, we're really excited and we're looking forward to it." But this means that Lacey is set to take a break from her EastEnders role – although no details about Stacey's exit have been confirmed.

But she is already preparing a very sweet gift for her baby – a photo book filled with precious family memories. "You take lots of photos of them, 1000s of photos," she said. Lacey continued: "I make one for my kids every year, I make thema photo book of their year, I just feel like when they're older, what if they want to look at the photos of themselves and they don't know how to get them off the stick, or don't know where they're going to be in a cloud or in a computer or something.

"I love sitting looking through photos, it's nice that I do it fo them, so I should be making three." But one thing Lacey isn't worried about, however, is the sleepless nights that comes with having a newborn. "Oh that's ok," she chuckled over Zoom. This year, Lacey has teamed up with CEWE as she explored the dos and don'ts in the run up to Christmas.

Although the star is known for her strong EastEnders storylines, the actress admits she feels "really lucky" to have had a career lasting over two decades. "I've been surrounded by brilliant people," she gushed. Lacey added: "I don't have a highlight, really, I've met some amazing people and learnt some amazing things – I've been lucky enough to do some amazing things. I am a lucky person."

But one role she admits she absolutely loved was her portrayal of witch Stella Munroe in the 2012 ITV2 series, Switch. The show centred around four witches based in Camden, north London as they made their way through the city embracing modern life – not the life of their mother's old-fashioned rituals. "I loved that," she said as a huge grin flashed across her face. "I don't think we really knew what it was, when it went out if it was for kids or adults, it was a bit confusing. But had we pinpointed it, it would have been great. It was great fun to make, we had a great time making it."

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