Lillia has been in the role since 2020 (Picture: BBC)

EastEnders bosses were impressed with child actress Lillia Turner back in 2020, when they cast her as Stacey Slater’s daughter Lily in the soap.

Often mistaken by fans as being a relative of Lacey Turner’s, due to a likeness and a shared surname, 13-year-old Lillia had previously played a guest stint as a character called Alyssa in 2019.

Her performance put the actress on the radar of the casting team, and she took over the role from Aine Garvey.

Who is Lily Slater and how old is she?

Lily Slater is the biological daughter of Stacey Slater and her ex Ryan Malloy.

She is currently 12-years-old and has been brought up by Stacey and Martin. She is older sister to Hope and Arthur.

During a point when she had come off her bipolar medication in 2009, Stacey slept with Ryan, which is when Lily was conceived.

After being sectioned and then returning from hospital, Stacey told a delighted Bradley that she was pregnant, but it soon became clear that he couldn’t be the dad as the times didn’t match.

Stacey had been raped by Archie but when she later found out from Ronnie that he was sterile, she knew that Ryan must be the dad.

EastEnders is Lillia’s first major TV role (Picture: BBC)

What are Lily’s storylines?

Lily has been central to many major storylines from the day she was conceived, given she is the daughter of one of EastEnders’ leading characters.

The focus on her parentage was a big plot for the show and led to a number of huge showdowns, including Lily being taken by Janine Butcher, who wanted a new life with Lily’s dad Ryan.

When Ryan later returned for a stint years later, he once again tried to take Lily away from Stacey and Martin, as Stacey was seriously ill at that point.

Lily has also had a number of fears around her own health – she was worried that she could inherit Kush’s heart condition until it was explained that it wouldn’t happen as he isn’t her biological dad.

The show has also explored Lily’s worries about the potential of her having bipolar disorder like mum Stacey and gran Jean.

Other storylines have included her hurting Arthur through jealousy, which prompted Carmel to report Stacey to social services for suspected child abuse.

She was also caught up in a very angry split between Martin and Stacey, which led to a public crisis when she leant out of a window with crying Hope, saying that the baby was hungry.

More recently, Lily pretended to have fallen down the stairs to try and stop Stacey from attending a plea hearing where she was wrongly jailed for assaulting Ruby.

And, amid her fears that she has bipolar disorder, she had to have her stomach pumped after taking Jean’s lithium tablets.

What’s next?

At the start of 2023, Lily’s life will be on the line when a gas leak at the house causes her and Eve Unwin to collapse and be rushed to hospital.

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Actress Lillia Turner took on the role of Stacey’s daughter in 2020.