EastEnders’ Stacey Slater star Lacey Turner reveals ‘guilt’ as she quits soap after 21 years

She’s an icon of Walford, but as Lacey Turner reveals she is leaving EastEnders, the actress opens up about the pull between work and motherhood – and why we must stop ‘judging’ each other

EastEnders star Lacey reflects on the feelings of guilt you constantly battle as a working mum(Image: CREDIT LINE: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
Actress Lacey Turner was a fresh-out-of-school 16-year-old when she joined the cast of EastEnders, playing the role of Albert Square’s sassy teenager Stacey Slater. She’s become an undeniable fan favourite over the years but – just as her character knows all too well – life moves on, and after 21 years, Lacey has decided she’s ready for a break.

Now 37, the London-born mum-of-three is waving farewell to Walford – for now, at least – in order to focus on other projects and life at home with her barber husband Matt Kay, and their three young children. “‘Break’ is a funny word, I don’t think I’ve ever had one!” she tells us as we sit down for an exclusive OK! chat, just days ahead of the official announcement of her EastEnders hiatus.

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Lacey admits that the older her kids get, the more she realises how ‘time flies'(Image: Ben Moore/LHA Represents)

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It’s clearly a decision she’s made with mixed feelings, which isn’t surprising given she’s spent more than half her life working at the BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. Over those years she’s become one of the most decorated soap stars of her generation, winning more than 30 gongs, including four National Television Awards and six British Soap Awards.

But things for Lacey off-screen have changed so much in that time that a sabbatical seems well-deserved. At home, Lacey is mum to daughter Dusty, five, son Trilby, four, and their newest daughter Gipsy Olive, who was born in January this year. The family live in a stunning house in Hertfordshire, which they bought in 2020.

After returning to work just weeks after Gipsy’s birth to film the special 40th anniversary scenes – in which Stacey’s ex-husband Martin Fowler died in The Queen Vic explosion – Lacey is keen to make the most of her extended time off. “Time flies,” she says, laughing as she adds that her kids are both “lovely and challenging” in equal measures.

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“The older they get, the more you realise how quickly the little years pass. It’s bonkers. So I take it day by day, week by week. “You feel guilty leaving them, but also guilty for not earning. It’s just never-ending. But we’ve got to stop judging and start supporting each other.”

Lacey says with a laugh, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever taken a break!'(Image: Ben Moore/LHA Represents)
Viewers of the BBC soap are currently watching Stacey dealing with the heart-breaking aftermath of the death of Martin Fowler (played by James Bye ), who declared his love for his former wife before tragedy struck. Shortly after our chat with Lacey, she confirms publicly that the time has come for herself and Stacey “to take a rest”.

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Even temporarily stepping away is a brave move for a soap actor, given the rapid pace of the storylines, but EastEnders bosses have promised already that there’s “plenty more drama” to come for her – and made it clear that the door will always be open for her return. But for now, at least, Lacey’s focus is her family.

She and her childhood sweetheart Matt, 36, will be celebrating their eighth wedding anniversary in September after tying the knot in a stunning ceremony in Ibiza, watched by soap legends such as Jake Wood and the late Dame Barbara Windsor.

The couple’s wedding was exclusively covered by OK!, and when we asked a then 29-year-old Lacey about her thoughts on expanding their family, she told us, “I want four children! When you have four you need to start thinking about a minivan to put them all in, whereas with three you just need a car. I don’t care, though, I’ll have a minivan.”

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Seven years on, Lacey laughs as she remembers her approach to motherhood for the first time, when she was pregnant with Dusty Violet. “Before I even had my first child, the list of stuff I was told I needed was ridiculous,” she smiles. “My nan always said, ‘All they need is a full belly, clean clothes, and you.’ And she was right. Sometimes, I just look at Matt and go, ‘Are we doing this right?’ But the kids are happy, healthy and (mostly) dressed, so we must be doing OK.”

Lacey has played feisty Stacey Slater since she was a teenager(Image: Getty Images for Deichmann)
Dusty was born in July 2019, following two devastating miscarriages. Her younger brother Trilby Fox then came along in February 2021, when the world was still reeling from the Covid pandemic, and he arrived early and was taken into the baby special care baby unit for two days before Lacey was able to hold him in her arms. The actress has been incredibly open over the years about her experiences – the good and bad – of becoming a mum, and her latest efforts to get rid of the stigma around formula feeding.

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“There’s so much pressure out there,” Lacey says. “So many products, so much advice. You feel like a rabbit in the headlights. But really, we need to get back to basics. And we have to reduce the stigma around formula use – just like other things we’ve learned to talk about over the years. Talking opens the door for others. It makes the conversation normal, and that helps reduce the stigma.”

Part of the campaign is spreading the message that spending more doesn’t automatically equate to higher quality, and this is something Lacey’s particularly passionate about. “I want us to get rid of the judgment. No more comparing. No more pressure to have the ‘best’ of everything.

She admit she and Matt grab ‘pockets of one-to-one time’ when they can(Image: Ben Moore/LHA Represents)

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“I want people to stop thinking they have to be rich to be good parents. “I’d love to get rid of the judgment. The world is mad enough without people being judged for how they parent. I want this campaign to shift the stigma. You don’t need to have the most expensive formula or toys or pram.

“I overheard a couple saving up to have a baby. That shouldn’t be the case. Parenting isn’t about money. It’s about love, time, and doing your best.” Lacey can appreciate she’s in a fortunate position, and she, Matt and the kids enjoy a wholesome life. A few years ago they moved into what Lacey calls “a little farm” in Hertfordshire.

Lacey says the mature garden was one of the main reasons they fell in love with the house. “I love being outside, that is where I feel happiest and calmest,” she has said. “I spend a lot of time outside and I’ve got animals, and that’s now my happy place, my self-care.”

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This year she also launched her We Started Here podcast, in which she chats to soap stars (including Anita Dobson and Jessie Wallace ) about how their careers began.

So, when it comes to her and Matt, is it difficult to carve out alone time? “Well, you just grab the little pockets that you get, don’t you?” she says. “We’re all just trying our best. And whatever your best looks like, that is enough. Right now, I’m just soaking up the baby cuddles and focusing on family life. But I do miss the chaos of the Square and my work family!”

Visit Bonya’s Formula Fog Hub at bonya.com/pages/formula-fog for help and resources.