{"id":6483,"date":"2021-10-29T22:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T20:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1390837"},"modified":"2021-10-29T22:13:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T20:13:09","slug":"lacey-turner-on-staceys-prison-wife-twist-and-why-shes-still-surprised-by-her-eastenders-alter-ego","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/lacey-turner-on-staceys-prison-wife-twist-and-why-shes-still-surprised-by-her-eastenders-alter-ego\/","title":{"rendered":"Lacey Turner on Stacey\u2019s prison wife twist and why she\u2019s still surprised by her EastEnders alter ego"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Johnathon Hughes\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 29 October 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Just when you thought you\u2019d seen it all from Stacey Slater, one of EastEnders<\/a>\u2019 most cursed characters with a past that can be politely described as \u2018chequered\u2019, the mouthy mum of three has revealed her latest big bombshell \u2013 she\u2019s secretly married to her former prison cellmate!<\/p>\n

It turns out while Stace was serving time for assault (framed by her jealous best friend, but we\u2019ll get to that) she hit it off with fellow felon Eve Unwin, and they ended up getting hitched. Stacey was behind bars to accommodate maternity leave for actress Lacey Turner, who is now back on the soap full-time after giving birth to her second child, Trilby, in February this year. As fans digest the nuptials twist, how did Turner herself react to her outrageous comeback storyline?<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was great, I was looking forward to coming back and Stacey never disappoints as there\u2019s always a big drama,\u201d she smiles, in an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com<\/a>.<\/p>

As Turner explains, there is more than meets the eye to the marriage, which is strictly borne out of convenience rather than romance. \u201cStacey and Eve shared a cell and became really close, even though it\u2019s only been six months it\u2019s like they\u2019ve known each other for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEve couldn\u2019t get released as she doesn\u2019t have a stable home to go to on the outside, so here comes Stacey, who loves an underdog, ready to save her.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll go to great lengths to help the people she cares about, so offered to marry Eve and let her live with the Slaters. It\u2019s not romantic in any way, Eve is gay but doesn\u2019t fancy Stacey, she\u2019s grateful for what she\u2019s doing and they love each other like family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now erratic Eve, banged up for three years for aggravated assault, has rocked up at 31 Albert Square with her suitcase and Stacey has been forced to admit to the sham marriage. There\u2019s the definite sense her secret spouse will bring trouble to her door \u2013 did Stacey think through this plan properly?<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably not!\u201d grins Turner. \u201cRather naively she thought nobody would need to know they were married as it was just a formality, which is why she didn\u2019t tell her family. She\u2019s trying to do a good deed. Eve took Stacey under her wing in prison and they\u2019ve developed a strong, unbreakable bond. The friendship is going to be really fun to watch.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019d describe Eve as a \u2018northern Slater\u2019. She\u2019s very intelligent but has a big mouth and can be hot-headed and fiery \u2013 as can Stacey, who is actually the more sensible of the two of them, believe it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eve is set to become an honorary Slater in every way, which means clashing with the locals, making enemies and causing chaos wherever she goes, much to the consternation of Stacey\u2019s jittery mother, Jean, who is instantly suspicious of her new daughter-in-law.<\/p>\n

\u201cJean is upset as she thought she\u2019d have Stacey all to herself when she got out of prison,\u201d sighs Turner. \u201cShe\u2019s worried Eve will distract Stacey and lead her astray.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turner is thrilled her alter ego has a new playmate, and can\u2019t speak highly enough of Heather Peace who has been cast as Eve. \u201cWhen you\u2019re portraying friendship, it\u2019s hard to make millions of people believe you\u2019re close to that person when you don\u2019t actually know them at all. Luckily me and Heather clicked straight away and we bounce off each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was such a relief and made acting the friendship a million times easier \u2013 if you believe it, so will the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another of Stacey\u2019s popular partnerships is with ex-husband Martin Fowler. The couple were torn apart by the manipulative machinations of Ruby Allen, who stole her former best friend\u2019s husband then falsely accused her love rival of an attack she claimed had caused a miscarriage. With Ruby in jail since her lies were uncovered, is the way clear for Stacey and Martin to reunite?<\/p>\n

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\u201cI love them together but there\u2019s so much damage and a lot of hurt to get over. For a start, you just don\u2019t marry your wife\u2019s best mate! I think Stacey will always love Martin and can\u2019t let go of what they\u2019ve been through, but getting back with him is not an option for her right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 17 years since Stacey first appeared on our screens as a tearaway teenager, a part tailor-made for Turner after she originally auditioned to play schoolgirl mum Demi Miller.<\/p>\n

Turner\u2019s incredible talent and natural star quality made the volatile-but-vulnerable Stacey instantly relatable, and quickly propelled her to EastEnders A-list status. She\u2019s been at the heart of some truly unforgettable moments \u2013 the explosive exposure of her affair with father-in-law Max Branning at Christmas 2007, her reveal as Archie Mitchell\u2019s murderer in the spectacular 2010 live episode, and her moving struggle with bipolar and postpartum psychosis.<\/p>\n

Her history of hard-hitting storylines has won Turner huge critical acclaim and more public-voted awards than any other UK soap star, so why is sassy Stacey so beloved by the audience?<\/p>\n