EastEnders Linda Carter star Kellie Brights age-gap romance with toyboy husband

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EastEnders star Kellie Bright has been in the show since she first arrived in Albert Square back in 2013 as Linda Carter.

With her children and husband Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) in tow, the blonde bombshell set about making Walford her home and has been an iconic part of the woodwork ever since. Kellie’s character became the landlady of the Queen Vic and has been involved in some of the show’s most heartbreaking storylines such as an ambulance crash, alcoholism, bulimia nervosa and her beloved Mick's disappearance.

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Away from her role as Linda, Kellie seems to take a more relaxed approach to life. She married her long term partner Paul Stocker back in 2014 and the pair have three children together. Daily Star has taken a look inside their love life away from the drama of the show.

Seven-year age gap

The couple first met when Paul was 24 and she was 31, but has previously admitted she was worried about the age gap when it came to their family plans. She told OK! Magazine: "Reality kicked in. I was 31 and wanted to have kids and Paul was 24 and didn’t, at the time. I felt it wasn’t fair on Paul, I worried that he would resent me."

Kellie also said that her stint on Strictly Come Dancing "helped" the couple as it "took the focus off trying" for a baby and "the fact that she was nearly 40". The star has clapped back at haters who criticised her for having her third child aged 45 and said that "if she was a man" then "no-one would bat an eyelid". She told OK! that Paul is "in his thirties" so "still running around with the kids" which she said is "great" for them.

Sweet family

Kellie gave birth to the couple’s third child in 2021 and has been through IVF treatment to conceive, whilst also having frozen three embryos for future use. The actress told The Mirror that she is "so tired" at the time "but it’s been amazing." She said: "I’m trying to savour every bit as these first few weeks are so precious and this is definitely my last [child].”

The soap star also revealed the rather unconventional way she was transported through the hospital during childbirth. She said: "They told me to kneel [on the wheelchair] and hold on to the back. I was kneeling on this wheelchair while my waters were coming out of me. I’m in the throes of labour and this poor girl is having to wheel me down corridors!"

Paul's EastEnders role

EastEnders fans were amazed to see Paul in EastEnders back in 2021 in a scene where Linda is attacked by a thug. She was caught in the middle of a robbery in the Queen Vic after two criminals broke in and demanded she hand over the money.

Linda tried to call for Mick, but was grabbed by one of the men – who was played by her real life husband Paul. Due to Covid-19 measures and social distancing rules, the EastEnders cast had to remain two metres away from each other, so Paul was able to make the scene look as realistic as possible by touching his wife during the staged robbery.

Acting career

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However, EastEnders wasn't Paul’s first acting gig. He has previously appeared in Doctors, Casualty and alongside Hollywood A-listers Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in 2007’s Atonement. He is also a seasoned theatre actor, having appeared in A Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time and Six Degrees of Separation, to name a few. Kellie and Paul actually met while they starred in a stage production together.

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One at 7.30pm

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