She revealed earlier this month that she’s expecting her first child with boyfriend Jonny Lomas.
And Victoria Ekanoye looked simply radiant as she displayed her growing baby bump while visiting The Cryo Lab in Manchester on Wednesday.
The former Coronation Street star, 37, who played Angie Appleton in the soap, looked every inch the yummy mummy-to-be as she dressed her bump in a chic black polka dot dress.
Blooming lovely: Victoria Ekanoye looked simply radiant as she displayed her growing baby bump while visiting The Cryo Lab in Manchester on Wednesday
Victoria appeared in good spirits as she flashed a warm smile while entering the building alongside a pal.
Nailing her pregnancy style, she teamed her flowing midi dress with a smart black coat and black lace-up boots.
Accessorising her look, she donned a black face mask emblazoned with the words ‘Baby on board’, while she added a pop of colour with a yellow handbag.
The expectant mum wore her braids in an elegant style for the outing, while she let her natural beauty shine though with barely-there make-up.
Radiant: The former Coronation Street star, 37, who played Angie Appleton in the soap, looked every inch the yummy mummy-to-be as she dressed her bump in a chic black polka dot dress
Earlier this month, Victoria excitedly announced the happy baby news in Hello! magazine and is due to give birth in January.
The soap siren told how she and beau Jonny decided to delay revealing their baby news, partly due to her suffering with sickle cell anaemia.
The couple, who celebrated their four-year anniversary last month, admitted that the pregnancy came as a ‘surprise’ as they had planned to start trying for a baby in 2021.
Victoria told the publication: ‘We thought we would try next year. So when this pregnancy came along we were like: “It’s happening.” It did come as a bit of a surprise but it’s so unbelievably exciting.’
Mummy-to-be: Victoria appeared in good spirits as she flashed a warm smile while entering the building alongside a pal
Despite being thrilled at the prospect of becoming parents, Victoria said there were a few reasons they decided to wait to tell their nearest and dearest the big news.
She explained: ‘We know friends that have miscarried and so we waited until we were 12 weeks before we even told our parents. Then, with my health condition, we wanted a little bit more security and stability in knowing that everything is okay with baby and with me.’
The X Factor: Celebrity star was first diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was just 22.
She added: ‘Chronic illness in general is not easy to live with but to have that during Covid-19 and to be pregnant was a lot.’
Congratulations! Earlier this month, Victoria excitedly announced the happy baby news in Hello! magazine and is due to give birth in January
The actress, who appeared on he X Factor: Celebrity last year, added that due to her illness, she’s regarded as a ‘high-risk’ pregnancy, and went on to praise the ‘amazing’ health professionals at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester who’ve looked after her.
Victoria and Jonny have opted to have a hospital birth, with the TV star expected to be induced around 39 weeks.
The beauty expressed the importance of her giving birth in the ‘controlled environment’ of a hospital as she’ll have to have a blood transfusion straight after the birth.
Meanwhile, dad-to-be Jonny noted that he’s ‘super excited’ about the baby, but is also ‘nervous’ about the ‘new chapter’ in their lives.
Last month, Victoria discussed her battle with debilitating condition sickle cell anaemia.
The Bury-born beauty, who was diagnosed in her early twenties having previously shown few symptoms, spent years masking the painful episodes from her mum.
Parents-to-be: The soap siren told how she and beau Jonny decided to delay revealing their baby news, partly due to her suffering with sickle cell anaemia
Speaking to BBC Sounds The Sista Collective, Victoria spoke of hiding due to her love of sport, saying: ‘If I’m honest, there were probably times where the pain was quite a lot but I just didn’t tell my mum’.
Sickle cell disease is the umbrella term for a group of inherited conditions that severely affect red blood cells. Around 15,000 people in the UK are sufferers and it is particularly common in people of African or Caribbean descent.
Healthy red blood cells – produced by stem cells within bone marrow – are biconcaved discs that can bend and flex easily. However, in those with sickle cell disease, faulty stem cells produce red blood cells that are crescent shaped.
They are rigid, unable to squeeze through small blood vessels and prone to causing blockages that deprive parts of the body oxygen.
Sufferers are not expected to live beyond 60 and treatment mainly focuses on alleviating symptoms, such as pain and infections, through blood transfusions.
Surprise: The couple, who celebrated their four-year anniversary last month, admitted that the pregnancy came as a ‘surprise’ as they had planned to start trying for a baby in 2021