EastEnders star Kellie Bright welcomed her third son with husband Paul Stocker this summer. The couple were already parents to nine-year-old Freddy and four-year-old Gene. They’ve named their youngest little boy Rudy Joy Stocker. And there’s a sweet meaning behind his middle name.
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Kellie Bright’s baby name
Kellie told OK! Magazine:
Joy was my Nana’s name and I said that whether we had a boy or a girl, I would really like the middle name to be Joy as she meant such a lot to me. We weren’t sold on Rudy until about a week before I had him, but it’s been on my boys’ list for a while and was definitely around when I had Gene.
Kellie also revealed in the interview that little Rudy was born after just 20 minutes in the labour ward after she was induced at 37 and a half weeks. She opted not to have an epidural this time around and described the birth as ‘quick’ but ‘excruciating’.
When is Linda leaving EastEnders?
Meanwhile, Kellie's on-screen counterpart Linda Carter has just given birth to a baby girl named Annie. Fans of the soap will know Annie's father is believed to be Max Branning - who Linda had a brief affair with last year. Although husband Mick had agreed to raise the child as his own, the secret about the father's identity doesn't look like it will stay hidden for long.
Actress Kellie has been on maternity leave since late July—which means we'll be seeing Linda make a temporary departure from the soap soon. It’s not clear exactly how much maternity leave she’s taking but she was off for six months back in 2016 when she welcomed middle son Gene.