EastEnders star actress, Kellie Shirley, just announced the arrival of her new bundle of joy! The new mom first revealed the coming of her baby last year, expressing how shocked she was to be pregnant.
New Mom Feeling
Kellie Shirley, popularly known as Carly Wicks in EastEnders , shared the arrival of her baby in a post uploaded to her Instagram. She posted a picture of her baby looking cozy in a white cardigan and captioned it, “So there’s a new fella in my life… and wow! #babyboy.”
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Congratulations Kellie
Everyone felt the love the new baby brings! Kellie’s fans and former co-stars have since congratulated her on the same post. Emma Barton, who played Honey Mitchell in EastEnders , wrote, “Beautiful darling.. can’t wait to meet him.” While Catherine Tyldesley from Coronation Street wrote, “Congratulations love! What a beautiful babba.”
She Was Counting Down
Before the announcement of her new baby, the 41-year-old EastEnders star had given her followers a hint that her baby was coming. In a post she shared on her Instagram page, the star actress showed her baby bump while placing an “Oh Baby” inscribed artwork on it. She captioned the post with, “The final countdown…. #ohbaby “
Mother Of 3!
Although she might be a new mom to her baby boy, the American actress was already a mother to two. Kellie and her husband, Phil Davies, already share 7-year-old twins, Pearl and Louis, before the arrival of this third.
Unexpected Pregnancy
Late last year, Kellie revealed she was shocked to discover she was pregnant for a second time. The star actress stated she was almost 20 weeks gone when she realized she was expecting a new joy in her life.
She Described The Feeling
Being much older than her last pregnancy, Kellie described how this process feels. In her words, she said, “last time was such a breeze in comparison. Being older this time around, I feel absolutely floored. When I found out, I didn’t tell people at work – I kept really quiet about it.”
How She Found Out
Speaking to OK! Magazine , Kellie stated she was filming when she suddenly became ill but never thought it to be pregnancy. She said, “I was literally on my hands and knees feeling horrendous, and the on-set medic called John said, ‘Are you sure you’re not pregnant?'” According to her, “I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m hardly seeing my husband! It’s just this heat.'”
It’s Positive
As you’d expect, her illness continued and got to her. Continuing her statement to OK! Magazine, she added, “I was being sick for a couple of weeks and he said, ‘Go and get a pregnancy test,’ so I did.” Adding, “It came back positive straight away. I was like, ‘Oh my God, John was right!’ It was a really lovely surprise. I feel very lucky.”
Wanting A Healthy Baby
Still, in her discussion with the magazine, Kellie revealed it was a boy and would do anything to ensure he was healthy. In her words, “as the pregnancy was a shock, I felt like I wanted to be able to connect with the baby more. I didn’t have a preference – I just want the baby to be healthy.”
Lifesaving Mom
Kellie is no longer just an actress but a lifesaving activist! After birthing her twin babies, she discovered that by simply donating her baby’s umbilical cords to people living with blood cancer, she could save them.
New Baby Will Save Lives
The EastEnders star also revealed during her pregnancy for her third baby that she would be engaging in the same umbilical cord donation. In an interview with Metro.co.uk , the star stated, “blood stored in babies’ umbilical cords is rich in stem cells, which can be transplanted into cancer patients to replace their damaged cells with normal, healthy ones.”
Finding Out
Continuing her discussion about this new cancer treatment technique, she mentioned she found out about it during the London Marathon run in 2008 for the Anthony Nolan Trust.
In Kellie’s exact words, “I didn’t know much about blood cancer or the charity at the time. A school friend of mine had been diagnosed with leukemia, plus, my mum was a nurse, so I’d picked up bits of information along the way. But that was about it.”
She Thought It Was Just An Umbilical Cord
You are not alone Kellie! Many moms don’t know either. Expressing her shock about its usefulness she says, “back then, I thought the umbilical cord was just a piece of flesh attaching the baby to the mother’s placenta. In most hospitals it’s usually thrown away after you give birth (unless it was whizzed up in a smoothie, that is!)”
It’s A Regular Practice
Unsure of the said practice, at the time, Kellie mentioned having met with Miriam González Durántez, the wife of the former deputy PM Nick Clegg, about it. She also stated that Miriam had told her it’s a routine practice of donating umbilical cords by mothers in her homeland, Spain.
Inspired Her To Do Better
Kellie also shared how inspiring her chat with Miriam was: “after chatting with Miriam, I was in awe listening to how amazing and helpful umbilical cords could truly be. How they could give someone who has blood cancer a second chance of life.”
How It Works
Explaining and trying to encourage expecting moms, the actress opened up about the process, saying, “It was pretty simple to sign up and get involved – I just asked my midwife, telling her I wanted to donate my umbilical cords, and she popped it in my patient notes.”
There’s Paperwork
Kellie further added, “all I had to do was fill in some paperwork to formally consent and a basic medical questionnaire to ensure everything was OK to proceed, and then I needed to make sure that I got to 37 weeks.”
Only A Few Hospitals
Unfortunately, only as few as five hospitals in England are encouraging donations to this cause. To be a part of it during her second pregnancy, Kellie transferred to Kings College Hospital in London to join the movement and support the scheme.
A Life Saved
She also revealed how pleased she was after discovering her babies’ placenta had saved a life after having Pearl and Louis. In her words, “I found out a few months later my babies had actually saved someone’s life. It was an incredible feeling.”
Ambassador Kellie
Raising awareness about the practice, Kellie has become an ambassador preaching about placenta donation. She says, “Donating your baby’s umbilical cord doesn’t hurt you or your baby – so it’s a no-brainer, and an incredible feeling knowing it can be used for such good.”
Adding, “Around 250,000 people are living with blood cancer in the UK right now – with many needing urgent treatment. Imagine the lives we could save if we made cord donation the standard.”
Lifesaving Estimate
In her words, she says, “Around 250,000 people are living with blood cancer in the UK right now – with many needing urgent treatment. Imagine the lives we could save if we made cord donation the standard.”
Her Other Projects
Since leaving EastEnders in 2012, the American actress has worked on other hit shows like Ridley and Death in Paradise . She has also announced the coming of a new season of her children’s TV show Biff and Chip on her Instagram with the caption, “Back entertaining the nations 3-9 year olds… S2 has now landed on @bbciplayer #biffandchip “
Last Updated on March 6, 2023 by Benjamin Imiewanlan
