Lacey Turner shares huge EastEnders news and fans can't believe it

Lacey Turner is best known for playing the iconic Stacey Slater on the BBC One soap, and made her debut as the outspoken character in 2004, and has been a regular in Albert Square for two decades

Lacey Turner has shared a huge EastEnders milestone, leaving her loyal fans in disbelief.

The actress, 36, made her debut as Stacey Slater in 2004, and left Albert Square six years later, before reprising her role as the iconic character in 2014. Lacey is a well-loved member of the long-running BBC soap, and she recently celebrated a massive milestone on the show. Posting a snap on Instagram, the official EastEnders page shared a snap of Lacey with her on-screen grandmother Big Mo, played by the legendary Laila Morse.

“Today marks 20 years since Stacey Slater and Lacey Turner first arrived on our screens, and what a journey it’s been! Congratulations Lacey, here’s to the next 20!” the caption read. In the snap, Lacey is smiling alongside Laila, while holding a huge bunch of flowers. The celebrations continued in the comments on the post, as fans couldn’t believe she had been on the soap for two decades.

“Happy 20 Queen Turner,” one wrote, as another added: “God I feel old, EastEnders wouldn’t be the same without her!” The well wishes continued, as a fan commented: “My fav always I can't believe it's been 20 years happy 20 years playing stacey lacey i love u sm,” and a fourth chimed in: “She been o the show for 20 years omg so long i remember her first episode back In 2000s.”

“20 years ago the QUEEN was born,” one loyal fan simply added, while one said the milestone made her “feel old”. Another added: “My favourite ever character. Here’s to the next 20 years.” The anniversary comes as Lacey prepares to leave the role temporarily after announcing she was pregnant with her third child. While she’s not due to give birth any time soon, viewers were left speculating how she would be written out of the soap when her maternity leave starts.

It’s not known when her final scenes will air, but some viewers remain convinced that Stacey will take the fall for Keanu’s murder. The Six are under threat after Nish figured out what really happened on Christmas Day, when Kathy Beale spilled the beans accidentally. Nish now plans to use that previous information to destroy the life of his estranged wife Suki, who has finally found happiness with Eve Unwin.

Keanu died on Christmas Day when Linda Carter stabbed him in dramatic scenes, as she tried to stop him from killing Sharon. The Six then buried his corpse, and framed Dean Wicks for the crime. Police aren’t convinced Dean was to blame, and have begun putting pressure on The Six, with officers close to figuring out that Nish’s attempted murder prompted Keanu to try and flee with Sharon’s son Albie. Fans are now convinced that Stacey will take the fall for the murder in an effort to protect the women.