Joanna Page has shared the wonderful news that she is pregnant and is expecting her fourth child with her husband, James Thornton.
The actress, most famously known for her role as Stacey Shipman in the much-loved BBC comedy series Gavin and Stacey, is already a mum to three young children and has said of the pregnancy "it's going to be a busy Christmas!"
Announcing the news on Instagram, 44-year-old Joanna told fans the pregnancy was a surprise as she stopped for a snap outside her home, beaming in a white maxi dress.
The snap subtly shows the Welsh star's bump as she posed with her hand on her hip.
Writing to her 86k followers, Joanna said: "Well, this is a surprise!!
"Baby number 4 on the way! It's going to be a busy Christmas!"
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Fans and celebrity pals were quick to flood Joanna's comment section with messages of congratulation following the big reveal.
"Oh wow, lovely news," Emmerdale actress Charley Webb wrote, while TV presenter Denise Van Outen said: "Aw, congratulations" alongside a red love-heart emoji.
Joanna and husband James already share a daughter and two sons together, and can't wait to expand their family.
James, who boasts 3.8K Instagram followers himself, also shared the snap of his wife, captioning it "My wonderful wife @iamjoannapage is pregnant and doesn’t she look amazing!!!
"We are having baby number 4! #almostafiveasideteam #nosleep"
So as the family grow their brood once more, we take a look into Joanna's doting husband.
Who is James Thornton and what does he do for work?
James Thornton is Joanna Page's husband and like his wife, also acts and does voiceovers for a living.
The 45-year-old was born and raised in Yorkshire, and is best known for his role in the ITV soap Emmerdale.
The father-of-three played the character John Barton, first appearing on the show briefly in 1995, before becoming a recurring character in 2009.
After a three-year stint, the actor called it quits and left the soap in 2012.
He and Joanna both worked on the same project way back in the 90s, as they both appeared in the BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, David Copperfield.
James starred as Ham Peggotty and Joanna played the role of Dora Spenlow.
When did James Thornton and Joanna Page marry?
Joanna and James tied the knot 18 years ago in December 2003, aged 25 and 26.
They've lived together in south London for a number of years, although it's thought they now live in the countryside in one of the home counties.
Although the pair are still going strong nearly two decades later, Joanna previously revealed in an interview that lockdown nearly drove hers and James' marriage to divorce.
During lockdown and with the kids unable to go to school or nursery, Joanna and James found they had no time to themselves.
Being unable to be intimate took a toll on their romance, with the couple regularly arguing.
Speaking to The Sun, Joanna explained: “We spent the whole of the first lockdown arguing and threatening to divorce each other.
“Then we went through a month of literally not saying a single word to each other.”
The school holidays last July meant the couple were constantly surrounded by their three children, leaving no time for romance.
Thankfully, when schools reopened the couple managed to fall for each other again – with Joanne saying she learned to “fancy” husband James once more.
How old are Joanna and James' children?
Joanna and James have three children together; daughter Eva, seven, and two sons; Kit, five, and Noah, four.
The actress hinted that she would possibly end up raising a family of four back in 2014, when she was then a mother-of-one to then 17-month-old daughter Eva.
"James is one of four so to him, four children is the norm," she told Sunday Express’ S magazine seven years ago.
"For me, one is the norm but I can see how people get addicted to having babies.
"I would like to keep going and try to pop out as many as possible – I only wish I’d started having them younger.”
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