EastEnders star Sid Owen expecting first child as he prepares to marry fiancée Victoria Shore

Former EastEnders star, Sid Owen, is set to become a father for the first time with his future wife, Victoria Shores. 

Sid, famous for playing Ricky Butcher on the BBC One soap, reconnected with old girlfriend Victoria on Facebook over lockdown, two decades after they were together initially.

After hitting it off and rekindling their romance, Sid popped the question and asked Victoria to marry him last month.

Now, the couple have revealed they are expecting a baby.

Sid, 49, admitted that after years of being alone, he was ready to give up on the goal of finding love and having children.

Speaking to OK! magazine, 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."

Sid shared a sweet photo of the baby's ultrasound scan on Instagram, sweetly captioning it, "Dreams do come true 🙏❤️."

With the baby's due date in January, Sid confessed he's happy that fatherhood has come to him later in life, revealing that their little one will be present on their big day.

"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's fans and showbiz friends took to the comment section on his Instagram to share in their excitement.

His iconic on-screen lover Patsy Palmer, who played Bianca Jackson on Albert Square, wrote," I can see the resemblance ❤️❤️❤️ beautiful to see I know how much this means to you . ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ congratulations to your gorgeous mumma to be too."

Meanwhile TV and Radio Presenter Kate Thornton added, "Congratulations Dad! ❤️"