Sid Owen has become a dad for the first time age the age of 49.
Sid Owen is a first-time dad at the age of 49
The actor - who starred as Ricky Butcher in the BBC soap 'EastEnders' from 1988 until 2012 - welcomed his first baby with fiancée Victoria Shore over the weekend.
Alongside a picture of himself wearing scrubs in the hospital and kissing Victoria on the cheek, he wrote: "Been a long a day. But. Can I say. I love you Victoria. Thank you for our baby."
Sid's former co-stars from 'EastEnders' were quick to send their congratulations to the happy couple, including Patsy Palmer who played his wife Bianca Jackson in the soap.
She said: "Congratulations to you all."
Daniella Westbrook - who is known to soap fans for playing Ricky's childhood sweetheart Sam Mitchell - also weighed in with her well-wishes.
She commented: "Congratulations daddy and well done Victoria."
The happy news comes after heartbreak, as the couple - who initially dated for a period of time 20 years ago before reconnecting on Facebook in 2020 - suffered a miscarriage in early 2021 which left Victoria feeling "shocked" and "numb".
She told The Sun on Sunday: "One evening I noticed there was some light bleeding. Instinctively I was worried because when you’re pregnant it’s an immediate cause for concern. It got progressively worse through the evening and I had pain in my abdomen, I couldn’t sleep and my mind was racing.
"The bleeding got heavier and didn’t stop, so the next morning we went to the hospital. I was pouring with so much blood, I was surprised they were able to use a probe. They told me I’d lost the baby as there was nothing there and was just sent straight home.
"I felt so shocked and numb. I was bleeding for days after and it was bewildering, I didn’t know what to do with myself."
Sid previously revealed that he "never dreamt" he would become a father and previously spoke of his delight when Victoria - who has two children from a previous marriage - discovered she was pregnant again back in September 2021.
He said: "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."
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