Coronation Street star Julia Goulding surprised fans when she debuted her blossoming baby bump on the red carpet over the weekend. The actress, best known for playing Shona Platt in the ITV soap, made her pregnancy announcement at the British Soap Awards on Saturday.
She attended the soap do with many of her Corrie pals including on-screen stepson Paddy Bever (Max Turner), Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew), Sally Carman (Abi Webster), and Millie Gibson (Kelly Neelan) to name just a few.
Julia, 37, looked a far cry from the Weatherfield cobbles in an elegant black gown while her brunette tresses were styled into a chic bun with loose tendrils and she added a pop of colour with a classic red lip.
READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street's Corey star Maximus Evans hints at return after award win
She posed for the awaiting cameras while tenderly placing her hands on her bump as she revealed she's expecting her second child with husband Ben Silver. The couple welcomed their son Franklin Wolf Silver in November 2019.
Speaking exclusively to OK! on the red carpet, Julia revealed it has been 'hard' to keep her pregnancy a secret. "It's been quite hard to keep it secret and they've dug out my maternity clothes from three years ago, so it's all systems go again," she told the publication.
As she tried to conceal her bump on the Salford-based set, the soap star did admit that her bump with Franklin was a "lot bigger". She said: "It's generally up to the director or costume department to sort of try and conceal it a bit. Obviously, I'm not as big, I'm used to being a lot bigger when I had Franklin.
"So yeah, it's been alright so far, we've managed to keep it to ourselves. I think we've done something right, thank goodness!"
Julia, who has starred in Corrie since 2016, may have given a hint that she was expecting as last month the Middleton actress attended The Baby Show with her husband at Birmingham NEC, a one-stop shop for products and advice from parenting experts on everything from sleep, weaning, breastfeeding and first aid.
Taking to Instagram after the awards, Julia shared a few snaps of her posing at the hotel. "I honestly felt a million dollars in this dress by @rosiebillington it was so comfortable and beautifully made," she captioned the post.
And the compliments were flooding in. Catherine Tyldesley, who recently welcomed her second child, said: "Congratulations momma!!!" as Corrie co-star Sally Carman wrote: "You looked bloody knockout," alongside a string of flame emojis.
Georgia Taylor, who stars as Toyah Habeeb in the soap, told Julia: " You looked breathtaking my darling," while Georgia's on-screen sister Jane Danson (Leanne Battersby) said: " Absolutely gorgeous love."
Following her maternity leave, the actress returned to filming in February 2020 after her character suffered a brain injury when she was shot by drunk gunman Derek Milligan. Shona made a comeback to the soap unable to remember her husband David or any of her life with the Platt family. She has since rebuilt memories and adjusted to life in Weatherfield again.
