Stephanie Davis has revealed she is pregnant in a new interview with OK! magazine - and told of her rocky pregnancy so far beset with health problems.
Former Hollyoaks and Coronation Street actress Stephanie Davis has announced she's expecting a baby boy.
In an interview with OK! magazine, alongside her partner Joe McKalroy, the 31 year old shared her excitement about the upcoming addition to their family. Stephanie also has a seven year old son.
The journey to this point has been "a roller coaster" for Stephanie, who tragically suffered a miscarriage in May 2022. Stephanie and Joe, 27, first crossed paths during a group therapy session in 2021. Currently 16 weeks pregnant and due in January, Stephanie confessed that it's been a challenging journey.
She said: "After my previous miscarriage, I thought, 'God's going to be good to us, it'll be plain sailing.' But that's not how life works," admits Steph, with a smile. "It's been... a roller coaster." Despite undergoing fertility tests and trying for a baby for two years, Stephanie fell pregnant naturally. "I did the pregnancy test at my mother-in-law's. I could not believe it. I've done a million tests over the past two years and videoed them the one time I didn't, it was positive! ".
However, she faced another hurdle when blood tests revealed her HCG [pregnancy hormone] levels were dangerously low and not doubling as they should be. "The doctor said he believed I was having another miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy. But I wasn't having it, I had this strong gut feeling that it was all going to be OK."
Joe admits that doctors even asked him to have "a word" as she wasn't "accepting" what was happening. A few days later, Steph was out with Caben for a haircut when her phone rang.
"It was one of the lovely nurses from the Buchanan Suite in Whiston Hospital." She said, 'Steph, this is a miracle. Your HCG levels haven't doubled they've tripled!" The couple could finally breathe a sigh of relief.However, Steph later found out she had a haematoma [a collection of blood outside the blood vessels], which she also had when she miscarried two years ago. "I was hysterical; on total bed rest, bleeding," she reveals.
Incredibly, the day before a recent holiday to Majorca, they were told the haematoma had disappeared and the baby was fine only for Steph to fall ill while abroad, before discovering upon her return that she had picked up C-diff [a bacteria that causes diarrhoea and colitis].
"Don't ever Google that if you're pregnant," warns Steph. "I was terrified. I'm still on medication to treat it, but I'm slowly recovering. "We need a holiday after the holiday," jokes Joe, who admits he doesn't know "how Steph's got through it all". But moving on to happier news, the couple's eyes light up when we ask about the moment they discovered the gender of their baby.
"Joe and I just wanted it to be the two of us when we found out," Steph starts. "It was so emotional. When the nurse said it was a boy, and the lights in the room went blue... it's a moment we'll cherish for the rest of our lives. Joe never cries, so when he started that set me off.
"We were just sobbing on each other. Then the nurse in the room started crying, too! "
But one thing they have planned is the name. "We've always had a name for a boy and a girl," she says. "We might change our minds once he arrives, though. When Caben arrived I realised he was not a 'George'. So we'll see."
Steph sports a 'promise ring' that Joe has vowed to replace with an engagement ring. So, is a wedding on the horizon?
"It's 100% going to happen, but I think we'll have this baby first," reveals Joe.
As they gear up for what they hope will be a "]very boring and uneventful'' remainder of this pregnancy, Steph admits that after the baby arrives, she'd be thrilled to return to Coronation Street, where she portrayed Courtney Vance."
"I absolutely loved it. Jimmi [Harkishin], who plays Dev, called me the other day - I love Jimmy. I'd love to go back. It's like the premier league of telly. I've got them all on Insta, we chat a lot. So we shall see.."
Before her pregnancy, Steph was also focusing on her emerging music career, having recorded her debut album at Willie Mitchell's iconic studio in Memphis.
"That's on hold for now, but I'll be going back to it. The album's being finished, it's amazing. It was just a vibe, and I used Aretha Franklin's mic! It was a dream. But right now, Joe and I are focusing on another dream welcoming our baby boy to the world."
To see all the exclusive pictures and watch video footage visit OK.co.uk or pick up a copy of OK magazine
