Sid Owen is to be a dad for the first time.
Sid Owen
The 'EastEnders' legend - who is best known for playing Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap - has rekindled his romance with Victoria Shores and not only are the pair expecting their first child together, he's also planning to marry the 42-year-old waitress after popping the question last month.
The 49-year-old actor hailed the news Victoria - who has two children from a previous relationship - is pregnant a "miracle".
He gushed: “I never ever dreamt I would have kids. The older you get the more distant that idea seems, you give up hope sometimes, so it is a miracle it has happened.
“We’d spoken about it when we talked about marriage but I just didn’t think it was going to happen. I was completely shocked and over the moon.”
And Sid thinks it is better for him to be a dad later in life.
He added: “I’m glad I am doing it now rather than in my 20s, I would have been a rubbish dad then."
The couple - who rekindled their romance during lockdown after reconnecting on Facebook - won't marry until after the baby is born in January.
Sid explained to the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "Vic wants to lose her weight and we want the baby at the wedding – just sat in a pram looking pretty.”
Sid and Victoria - who know the sex of the baby but are keeping it private - first met in 1998 and dated for a year, and the actor knows they wouldn't have had a solid future back then.
He said: "I'm so glad we are back together now because we would never have lasted back then. I was on 'EastEnders' and it was all a bit crazy.
“I had a few short-term relationships, nothing serious really. After my last relationship I thought I was going to be a bachelor for life.”
Sid popped the question during a visit to a spa - but he asked his fiancee's dad for permission first.
He said: “I love her parents, and I called her dad. I wanted to do it with them and her family but then I didn’t think it would be that personal.
“So I booked the bridal suite for the two of us, there was champagne and flowers and I got down on one knee.”
Victoria added: “There were a few tears. It was really special.”
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