LUCY Speed became a popular fixture on EastEnders when she was just a teenager.
Veteran viewers of the BBC One soap will remember Lucy as Barry Evans’ ex-wife Natalie.
The 44-year-old actress shot to fame in EastEnders back in 1993 – aged just 17.
Lucy first appeared in EastEnders as Bianca [Patsy Palmer’s] best friend Natalie but she quit the show a year later after feeling overwhelmed by the level of fame that being on the popular soap received.
Lucy previously shared: “I was very frightened by it quite frankly and certainly unprepared for it.
“I didn’t like at all the attention that came with being on such a high-profile show. It simply wasn’t what I signed up for in the first place-all that craziness.
“I was very young and extremely shy, so it all became a huge difficulty for me… I honoured my initial one-year contract and then moved on.
“They did express their interest in signing me for another year, but I politely but firmly declined.”
However, the actress reprised Natalie in 1999 having “grown and become more confident”.
She remained in Walford until 2004, with her character being involved in several high-profile storylines – including marrying fan favourite Barry, and welcoming a son Jack with him.
The character briefly returned to see Janine be imprisoned for Barry’s murder, and the door was left open for Lucy to potentially return to EastEnders in the future.
Since then she’s appeared in plenty of shows including starring on The Bill from 2007 to 2010, Call the Midwife, Marcella, Doctors, Jamie Johnson and Silent Witness.
More recently fans spotted her on hit dramas Liar and Unforgotten with Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
She even made it to Netflix on Ricky Gervais’ After Life.
Outside of her healthy acting career, the Croydon-born gal married actor and model Spencer Hayler in 2012.
They have two young children, a daughter named Kitty Bina Grace and a son named Sullivan.
The happy family live in London’s Fulham and regularly keep fans updated on their life via social media.
Lucy also has an altruistic side and has been a patron of The Lily Foundation since its launch in 2007.
The charity raises funds to help find a cure for Mitochondrial Disease.
The star has also stayed good friends with her on-screen enemy and regularly hangs with Charlie Brooks who played Janine Butcher.
