Michelle Keegan and her husband Mark Wright are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their first child, with the couple expecting their bundle of joy this summer.
Beyond the anticipation of parenthood, Michelle has hinted at an exciting new role she’s gearing up for once the baby arrives.
The 37-year-old is currently in the middle of filming the final series of Brassic, but she is already looking ahead to her next career move.
She’s keeping details under wraps for now as she is sworn to secrecy but Michelle teased that it's a "big new job" - one that will mark a new chapter in her already impressive career.
Speaking to Grazia about her impending maternity leave, the star shared: "I'm going to take a good chunk of time off to enjoy being a mum.
"I'm never normally at home in the summer, i've always been working, so I can't wait."
The former Corrie star has always been career driven, and spent last summer down under in Australia filming the BBC period drama Ten Pound Poms, which returns next month.
She's no stranger to being away from Mark for long periods of time whilst filming, but she says the secret to their long marriage and time apart is being "best friends" as well as mutual respect and support.
At one point Mark spent over a year and a half in Los Angeles working on a US entertainment show, whilst Michelle worked in South Africa and Malaysia on the hit BBC drama Our Girl.
"We never make each other feel bad about being away for work," she said to Grazia. "And even though there has been negativity surrounding that in the press, we never let it affect our relationship."
The couple celebrate their 1oth wedding anniversary in May, although their time together has not been without struggle and pressure from the media.
She recalls the speculation that surrounded her and Mark’s relationship, particularly after they got married, saying: "Around the time we got married, I was open about the fact that I wanted to have a family, but then, because we didn’t choose to have children within a certain time, there was lots of speculation."
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This led to reports that their relationship was 'on the rocks'. Michelle stated: "We can handle that but, at one point, there was a story every week. My family was asking me about it, so I made the decision to not talk publicly about that side of my life. I’m going to be 38 this year and, as I’ve got older, I feel more confident about my boundaries."
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