Lacey Turner is planning to get married next year.
The ‘EastEnders’ star – who is known for playing Stacey Slater in the long-running soap – got engaged to her childhood sweetheart Matt Kay in Venice in September and, although she’s in no rush to the tie knot, she’d like to head down the aisle before the end of 2017.
She explained: "It will hopefully happen next year. We’re trying to keep it quite small but it’s hard as Matt’s got a huge family. We do have the same group of friends, which helps, but we’re still talking about 100 people, which sounds so scary. I’m not really someone who likes to be in the limelight! We’re not having a church wedding as neither of us are religious. I haven’t done much planning yet."
Matt got down on one knee with a temporarily jewel because he wanted the brunette beauty to choose her own ring and is thrilled she chose to incorporate his mother’s pear-shaped diamond.
She said: "The ring is a combination of about five rings I saw and there’s a lot of sentimental value to it as my best friend’s brother is a jeweller in Hatton Garden and he made it for me."
Matt added to OK! magazine: "The pear-shaped diamond belonged to my mum and she’s had it for 30-odd years. It was her engagement ring."
Lacey explained: "His mum and dad have been together donkey’s years so I feel like it’s good luck. When we put a picture on Instagram of us [which showed the stand-in ring Matt proposed with], everyone was commenting: ‘Look at that rock!’ I thought, ‘It’s not real!’ "
And, although she hasn’t put much thought into her big day, the 28-year-old actress has already decided that she’ll take on Matt’s surname once they’ve got hitched.
She said: "I think it’s a nice thing to do. I’ll probably keep my name for work because it’s easier."