Hannah Waterman pregnant after whirlwind romance

By
Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 6:47 PM on 3rd April 2011

Former EastEnders actress Hannah Waterman is pregnant with her first child following a whirlwind romance with a mystery man.

The 35-year-old was spotted with a sizeable baby bump as she ran errands in London on Saturday.

Her surprise pregnancy comes just over a year after her split from ex-husband and former EastEnders co-star Ricky Groves after four years of marriage.

Baby on the way: A heavily pregnant Hannah Waterman runs errands in London on Saturday

The actress, whose father is Minder actor Dennis Waterman, is yet to announce who the father of her unborn child is.

A source told the Sunday Mirror: ‘This may come as a bit of a shock to a lot of people but Hannah is absolutely thrilled.

‘She is 35 now and feels it is the perfect time to start a family. Everyone who knows her is sure she’s going to be a great mum.’

In 2009, Waterman starred in a best-selling exercise DVD after losing two and a half stone in five months.

Split: Waterman with ex-husband Ricky Groves, who she left at Christmas 2009

Dramatic: Waterman dropped five dress sizes for her fitness DVD

Waterman – who played Laura Beale in EastEnders, went from a size 16 to six, although later admitted she had become too thin.

After losing all the weight, she told Groves their marriage was over during the Christmas-New Year 2009 holiday.

In an interview shortly after their split, Groves told the Mail On Sunday that Waterman had confessed to being unfaithful.

He said: ‘I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t know who the other man is. I have no idea and I don’t want to know.

‘I feel devastated enough without having a name. I won’t play guessing games and I won’t ask her who he is because that would destroy me.’

The couple started dating in 2000 after Groves won the part of mechanic Garry Hobbs.

Their character ended up having an on-screen romance, before her character was killed off in 2004.

Groves and Waterman married in Dartmoor in 2006.

On-screen family: Waterman as Laura Beale and Groves as Garry Hobbs in a 2003 scene from EastEnders