EastEnders actress Lacey Turner, who plays Stacey Slater in the BBC soap, has opened up about her Christmas plans as she gears up to watch the EastEnders Christmas special

EastEnders star Lacey Turner has spilled the beans on her Christmas plans and hinted at the drama in store for viewers in the much-anticipated festive episode. The actress, famed for her role as the beloved Stacey Slater, has tackled some intense plots, including dealing with bipolar disorder and being entangled in a series of grisly murders.

Although the juicy details of this year’s Christmas special are top secret, the 36 year old soap icon shared that she’ll likely be watching along with fans from the comfort of her home. With EastEnders enthusiasts already captivated by Cindy Beale’s scandalous storyline, involving an affair with her ex-husband George Knight’s son, Junior, there’s speculation that the truth will come out during the holiday season.

Despite playing a pivotal role in last year’s dramatic Christmas plotline, which saw Keanu Taylor’s chilling murder and its subsequent cover-up, Lacey is crossing her fingers for a more chilled-out celebration this time around. So, what’s on Lacey’s agenda for the holidays? She revealed that spending time with family is what she cherishes most about Christmas. While she “loves” playing hostess, Lacey won’t be the one cooking up a storm and claims she’s “dreadful” in the kitchen. Thankfully, her husband is a whizz when it comes to festive feasts, reports the Mirror.

Lacey explained of her plans: “We’ll sit down at 3pm, have lunch, everybody’s got a different program that they want to watch throughout the afternoon, evening, and you sort of stick to those rules, and that’s how it is. It’s nice because the kids can play with their presents, there’s games and you can play with the kids – it’s lovely.

“I love everybody being together and I love doing the same thing every year.” She added: “I love Christmas, I’m a real Christmas person, so I get really excited about Christmas,” she continued. “I love being with family and friends, I love the food, I love giving presents, I love everything about it.”

She revealed of her prep for the big day: “We have a date that work finishes and that’s that, work is done and then you’ve got two weeks of family time. I think because I love it so much, I think it’s so easy to do, I love it.” Lacey gets ahead of the holiday rush by starting her shopping early, especially for her kids as they’re “easy” to buy for, before she considers the adults in her life, she says.

Buying for her mum and nan is just as straightforward, she admits, since they’re a “sentimental” bunch. She added, “You sort of feel like you miss out on things as the year goes on, every year we’ve bought each other a photo book and my mum and nan have always said it’s their favourite present, they look forward to it every year.”

While she cherishes presents with sentimental value, one gift from her hubby Matt Kay, she says, didn’t quite hit the mark. “My worst gift is a football shirt, and it actually came from my husband,” Lacey confessed, recalling her bafflement at the time: “Why the hell would I want a football shirt? It was a very strange present but I did feel bad. I did pretend I liked it, which I think most people do.”

The star also touched on the widespread disappointment there can be during the festive season, citing some eye-opening stats: “There’s a lot of people are disappointed with their gifts. I mean, the research that CEWE did shows that 73% of people are disappointed. That’s such a massive percentage of people. That’s crazy! ” But it’s not all gloomy; Matt has since stepped up his game, delighting Lacey annually with a personalised mug adorned with pictures of their children.

Lacey also spoke about expecting a third bundle of joy: “I’m excited for all of us really,” she gushed. “It’s like another chapter in our little story, yeah I am excited. There’s nothing better than a newborn and a newborn cuddle, so that would be lovely. Yeah, we’re really excited and we’re looking forward to it.”

However, baby bliss means Lacey will momentarily hang up Stacey Slater’s shoes for maternity leave – and fans are yet to get the scoop on how Stacey will wave goodbye to Walford. Meanwhile, Lacey is crafting a special keepsake for her new arrival — a personalised photo album, full of treasured snaps. .

“You take lots of photos of them, 1000s of photos,” Lacey explained. She elaborated, “I make one for my kids every year, I make them a photo book of their year, I just feel like when they’re older, what if they want to look at the photos of themselves and they don’t know how to get them off the stick, or don’t know where they’re going to be in a cloud or in a computer or something. I love sitting looking through photos, it’s nice that I do it fo them, so I should be making three.”

Lacey also opened up about her career that’s spanned over 20 years, saying she feels “really lucky” She enthused: “I’ve been surrounded by brilliant people,” and continued, “I don’t have a highlight, really, I’ve met some amazing people and learnt some amazing things – I’ve been lucky enough to do some amazing things. I am a lucky person.”

But it’s not just Albert Square that’s seen her shine; Lacey adored playing witch Stella Munroe in the 2012 ITV2 series Switch. Reflecting on the show set in Camden with four modern-day witches, she couldn’t hide her excitement: “I loved that,” she beamed. “I don’t think we really knew what it was, when it went out if it was for kids or adults, it was a bit confusing. But had we pinpointed it, it would have been great. It was great fun to make, we had a great time making it.”