EastEnders star Sid Owen to become a dad at 49 AND he’s getting married
EASTENDERS star Sid Owen has revealed he is set to become a dad at 49 as he is set to marry his sweetheart Victoria Shores.
The actor, who played Ricky Butcher in the long-running BBC One soap, popped the question last month ahead of his baby's birth next January.
Sid, 49, revealed he is welcoming his first child AND marrying fiancee Victoria after re-connecting with her, an old flame, on Facebook.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "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.”
Sid and his wife-to-be already know the sex of their first child - but have chosen to keep it to themselves until the big day.
Victoria, 42, who already has two children from a past relationship, revealed her excitement as she gushed over Sid being a "chilled dad".
It comes shortly after the actor revealed he had found love with the restaurant worker, who he first met 23 years ago.
Sid said he was the "happiest he's ever been" after the couple had dated for more than a year after two decades apart.
Off-screen, Sid has been engaged twice. First to dancer Carty Hubbard, 41, in 2000, then to TV host Polly Parsons, 37.
Their relationship ended after six years in 2012 and she is now wed to footballer Thomas Vermaelen, once of Sid’s favourite team Arsenal.
The actor, who lives near Tower Bridge in London, found love with restaurant worker Victoria after taking "five or six years" away from dating.
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Earlier this month, Sid shocked his fans with a picture of his girlfriend Victoria peeing in a forest as they enjoyed a day out.
Sid and Victoria were out for a stroll in a leafy area when she answered to the call of nature and was photographed bending down.
The actor, who wore sunnies and a backpack, posted a shot to Instagram with the cheeky caption: "I didn't take a picture."
Fans were in hysterics, and his former EastEnders co-star Dean Gaffney commented: "She knew it was being taken! Lol."
Popular Sid had three stints in the soap and was last seen in 2012.
His character wed fiery Bianca Jackson (actress Patsy Palmer) who famously screamed “Rickaay!” on a regular basis.