Brooke Kinsella is pregnant! Former EastEnders actress is expecting her second child

Former EastEnders star Brooke Kinsella is expecting her second child with husband Simon Boardley.

The 38-year-old actress and her five-year-old husband will welcome a brother or sister to their 18-month-old daughter Elsie – and she will admit she is overjoyed.

Share the happy news with the latest edition of OK! Magazine, Brooke said: “It’s all kiss for now … Here we go again Simon Boardley.”

Brooke – who married Simon, 43, in 2017 – made no secret of the fact that she wanted more children after the birth of her daughter in September 2020.

Si sot OK! back then: ‘I come from a very large family and am so close to my siblings.

‘Having someone to go through with life is really important and I would love to give that to Elsie. There is plenty of room in our home for another little one.

‘We’re not getting any younger, so of course we have to think about these things, but I’m not in a hurry.

‘I want to enjoy Elsie as a first time mother and give her all the love and support she needs. We’re leaving it to the universe to see what happens. ‘

Brooke experienced tragedy in her life when her younger brother Ben Kinsella was killed in 2008 when he was just 16 years old.

The actress – who founded the Ben Kinsella Trust in her memory and was later awarded an MBE for her charitable work – previously admitted that it was “heartbreaking” for her that her daughter Elsie never met her uncle.

She said: ‘It is a double-edged sword. Being Elsie’s mom is all I ever wanted, but on the other hand I can not help thinking of anyone who is not here to meet her. To me, the main character is missing Ben.

“Of course I love Elsie more than anything and love Ben so much. It’s heartbreaking to know that the two never get a chance to meet.”

Back in 2018, Brooke helped the team at EastEnders while researching a knife crime story that saw the character Shakil Kazemi (Shaheen Jafargholi) killed by a band member.

Appearing on Loose Women in 2021, Brooke admitted that her daughter, then just eight months old, looked like her late brother.

The actress and activist reflected on getting a sign from Ben when she first discovered she was pregnant, and admitted that she repeatedly cried over his loss after becoming a parent.

She explained: “As soon as I bought the Clearblue package, I saw the word BEN. It was he who announced his presence.

Losing a sibling … who was one of my best friends … was difficult. The thought of losing a child is very horrible. Now I know what it is to lose, it has broken my heart again. ‘