Coronation Street star Stephanie Davis has shared the joyous news that she is expecting a ‘miracle’ baby.
The actress is already a mum to seven-year-old son Caben, whom she shares with ex-partner Jeremy McConnell, having met him on Celebrity Big Brother in 2016.
Now dating Joe McKalroy, the former Hollyoaks star is delighted to be expanding her family.
In a new interview and photoshoot, the 31-year-old showed off her blossoming baby bump, sharing that she has been on a ‘rollercoaster’ journey with her second pregnancy thus far.
It comes after the Merseyside-born TV star suffered a devastating miscarriage in May 2022.
She told OK! Magazine: ‘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. It’s been… a rollercoaster.’
The parents-to-be are praying the worst is over now, with Stephanie currently 16 weeks and due in January.
‘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!’, she recalled.
Stephanie added that she and Joe, 27 – whom she met during a group therapy session in 2021 at a ‘low point’ in her life – are expecting a boy, meaning Caben will have a little brother.
‘I just love him so much,’ Stephanie giggled while fawning over her other half.
Recalling how pregnancy number two has been anything but easygoing, Stephanie explained that a blood test found she had very low HCG (pregnancy hormone).
Consequently, she was warned that her risk of miscarrying again was high.
‘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,’ she said.
Joe was even encouraged by doctors to ‘have a word’ with Stephanie, who was reluctant to accept the risks.
A couple of days later, in a stroke of great fortune, Stephanie received a phone call to inform her that her HCG levels had tripled.
‘We went for a scan and saw our little bean on the screen. It was amazing.’
Alas, the drama didn’t end there, as Stephanie later ended up on bed rest, bleeding, due to a haematoma, which is a collection of blood which is located outside the blood vessels.
Thankfully, shortly before the couple’s holiday to Mallorca, the haematoma had gone and their baby was fine – only for the ex-Corrie star to become unwell during their trip and return home with C-diff, a bacteria that causes diarrhoea and colitis.
‘I was terrified,’ she said.
Stephanie is still on medication, but assures she is ‘slowly recovering’.
In awe of his partner, Joe said he ‘doesn’t know how Steph’s got through it all’.
