Helen Flanagan is expecting her second child next year – but don’t expect her to be departing Coronation Street anytime soon!
The actress, best known as Rosie Webster, has told OK! magazine that she plans to work right up until her due date and hasn’t decided on whether she’ll take maternity leave or not.
Helen, 27, and footballer boyfriend Scott Sinclair, 28, are already parents to daughter Matilda, two.
Helen explained: “I don’t know how I’ll feel or if I’ll get any complications, but I think I’m going to work up to my due date. I’d like some time with Matilda before the baby arrives, but I want to keep busy.
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“I don’t want to get bored, which happened a little bit last time.”
As for whether she’ll take maternity leave and, if so, how long, she simply said: “I’m not sure. I want to spend time with my new baby but I love my job.”
Helen announced her pregnancy in this week’s OK! magazine, out now, but said colleagues at Corrie already knew as she’d taken time off because of pregnancy-related illness.
“A lot of people knew because I’d been signed off sick and some filming had to be rescheduled,” she said.
“They’ve looked after me; Corrie is a lovely place to work.”
While Helen looks the picture of health and happiness on the cover of OK, she had a difficult start to her pregnancy after suffering from hyperemesis gravidarium,
It’s the same extreme morning sickness that has plagued the Duchess of Cambridge during her pregnancies.
Helen returned to Coronation Street earlier this year, after an absence of five years.
She began her cobbles career at the tender age of just nine years old, before leaving in 2012 to pursue other opportunities, including a stint in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle.
She’s frequently said despite her success on screen, the most important role in her life is being a mum.
In an interview with Fabulous magazine over the summer, Helen admitted feeling “guilt” at returning to work on Corrie after having Matilda, but ultimately wants to give her little girl the best in life.
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“I felt a bit guilty, asking if I was a bad mum for going to work and doing this for myself,” she said.
“But that’s silly. If you’re happy, it reflects on your child and they’re happy. And Matilda is happy. Everything is tiring but it’s so worth it.”
Congrats to Helen and Scott!