WHEN Bolton actress Casey Lee Jolleys shot to fame as a Thai bride in Coronation Street, she had a secret even she did not know - she was pregnant.

Casey Lee, who married businessman Michael a year ago, is expecting their first baby in January.

And she will give birth back in her home town.

"I'm absolutely delighted," said 30-year-old Casey Lee, as she revealed the news exclusively to the Bolton Evening News today.

"I must have been pregnant when I was still on Corrie, but I didn't realise it."

She made national headlines when she starred in a strong Street storyline as unlucky-in-love Fred Elliott's Thai bride Orchid Pattaya, otherwise known as conwoman Stacey.

Before this TV appearance, Casey Lee, who was a local disco dancing diva at the age of seven, already had a successful acting career in theatre and on TV.

Her Street role brought plenty of further job offers, and she had arranged to play Aladdin in panto at St Albans.

"But, of course, Aladdin can't be pregnant!" said Casey Lee. "So I've had to explain to them and I won't be appearing now."

The actress is, however, perfectly happy about her next role as a mum.

She said: "It's what we have always wanted. I want to be a full-time mother and not miss out on any of the important things.

"I'd like to perhaps look at work in the New Year, but there is certainly no rush. At the moment, I'm just trying to stop myself rushing out and buying things for the baby."

The baby will be a first grandchild for her mum, Maureen, who lives in Sharples. "She's thrilled to bits as well," said Casey Lee.

The couple will learn the sex of the baby in November when they go to London for a 3-D scan, but they have already arranged for the birth to take place at the Princess Anne Maternity Unit in the Royal Bolton Hospital.

"The unit looks lovely and everyone has told me that it's a great place to have a baby," she said.

In the meantime, Casey Lee is trying to take life a little easier. "I still get people stopping me in the street, though, and asking about Fred Elliott," said Casey Lee. "They want to know what I've done with his money!"