<p> <br /> Former EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has announced she is pregnant with her first child.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> The actress, best known for playing Sonia Fowler in the soap, is expecting a baby with Adam Cottrell, her boyfriend of nine months.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> Cassidy, 26, told OK! magazine: "We haven't really gone public with our relationship, so I guess this will all seem a bit sudden to some people. But it was a whirlwind romance for us too, I guess!"<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> Cassidy met 30-year-old transport boss Mr Cottrell at last year's Isle of Wight festival.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> She explained she has polycystic ovaries and feared she might never be able to conceive, so to get pregnant so quickly was a surprise.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> "I wanted children so much, it was a worry. I came off my contraception in November but I never thought I'd get pregnant that quickly," she revealed.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> The former Strictly Come Dancing star, who lost her mother in 2002 to a heart attack and was left devastated when EastEnders co-star Wendy Richard died last year after a battle with cancer, said pregnancy has been a "very emotional" experience.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> She said she wanted to have "lots of kids" with Mr Cottrell, and is hoping he will propose to her before the baby is born.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> Cassidy was criticised for gaining weight following the release of her successful fitness DVD.<br /> </p><br /> <p> <br /> She said she hopes being a mother will end unkind comments about her appearance.<br /> </p>
