Sid Owen and his fiancée Victoria Shores have shared the sad news that they have suffered a miscarriage just weeks after announcing they were expecting their first baby together.
The 49-year-old EastEnders star and his 42-year-old wife-to-be had been excited to be expecting a child together – and were left devastated when they lost the baby at nine weeks.
Sid, who has played Ricky Butcher on EastEnders on and off since 1988, says his mental health has suffered following the tragic news – and he has struggled to stay strong for Victoria.
The couple had dated 20 years ago and rekindled their romance last year after reconnecting via Facebook – before unexpectedly falling pregnant earlier this year.
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Sid and Victoria shared their agony over the loss of their baby.
Victoria explained that she became worried when she noticed light bleeding on evening – which “got heavier and didn’t stop.”
Sid rushed her to hospital the following morning where the couple were told they had lost their baby.
The pair say they were both in shock and were discharged from the hospital with a packet of sanitary towels and feel like they were given no real support.
Explaining his agony over the miscarriage, Sid said: “Afterwards I remember Vic telling me, ‘I’m sorry’, because she felt guilty. Of course I didn’t blame her at all — we were both feeling emotional.
“I didn’t know what to say or do. I could have done with some advice or someone to talk to. I felt empty and helpless.
"We were so excited and then suddenly it felt like we had lost everything.
“I was trying to be strong for Vic. I felt I couldn’t break down as I wasn’t in physical pain, but emotionally I was in pieces.
“I was so attached to this idea of our baby. There wasn’t a day that passed when we didn’t speak about the baby. It was a grieving process.”
Finding a degree of positivity among the heartache, Sid went on to explain he is now more determined than before to marry Victoria and they hope to begin a family in the future.
In September, Sid had opened up about his excitement to wed Victoria and begin a family – seven weeks before their sad news was revealed.
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.”
Mum-of-two Victoria added that she expected Sid to be a “chilled dad”, while the soap star added: “I’m glad I am doing it now rather than in my 20s, I would have been a rubbish dad then. Vic wants to lose her weight and we want the baby at the wedding – just sat in a pram looking pretty.”
Sid was previously engaged to Carty Hubbard but they split in 2003 – while his romance with Polly Parsons lasted from 2006 to 2012.
