Former Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett pregnant with first child

The Celebrity Big Brother star said she feels “like the ­luckiest woman in the world” as she prepares for the birth of her first child this autumn.

The 38-year-old told the Sunday Mirror about the news, saying she plans to raise the baby with her firefighter husband Jason Carrion in New York, where the couple now live.

The two got together back in 2018, and 17 months later they decided to tie the knot in January of 2020. Like Roxanne, he also had his own stint on reality TV, having previously appeared on the US version of Married At First Sight.

Discussing her experience with reality TV and how much life has changed since she left show business, the former actress revealed she had left social media behind.

“I now know what ‘happy ever after’ feels like,” she said.

“To have such a beautiful life here and be blessed with the most incredible husband and our little baba on the way… my mum’s already knitting for England.

“My husband is driving round at all hours getting me pizza and cookies. We’re in a bubble of excitement.”

Roxanne said she had to change her life after receiving hundreds of complaints following the “punchgate” incident on her season of Celebrity Big Brother.

She had left the Big Brother house after falsely accusing another contestant - Coronation star Ryan Thomas - of deliberately hitting her. However, footage that came out later clearly showed that it was an accident.

Since the incident, Roxanne has been diagnosed with complex PTSD and Panic Disorder, adding that a specialist treatment really helped her.

“Therapy… changing my environment, leaving showbiz and eliminating the online world has given me the most peace and progress,” she said.

Roxanne played Jo Stiles in Emmerdale for three years from 2005 and later ap­­­peared in Waterloo Road and Casualty.

She said: “Everyone I now have around me brings out the best in me… It’s true that happiness is the greatest success.

“I’m just very grateful for such a beautiful chapter.”