Actress Kellie Shirley, who portrays Sophia in BBC’s Casualty, has been married to writer Phil Davies for over a decade and the couple are parents to three adorable children

Kellie Shirley is famed for her acting roles in shows such as Casualty and EastEnders (Image: Stacey Clarke/Kelsie Hale)

Many TV fans will recognise Kellie Shirley, whether it be from EastEnders, Casualty, Call the Midwife or other hit shows. The actress boasts over 50 acting credits to her name and has become a regular on our TV screens over the years. Kellie, 43, currently stars in BBC medical drama Casualty as Sophia Peters. The psychiatric liaison has been at the centre of the drama in the latest Casualty storyline, with Kellie putting her incredible acting skills on display.

Away from acting, Kellie, who is also known for playing Carly Wicks in EastEnders, is a mum to three young children – twins Pearl and Louie, eight, and one year old son Ezra. She resides in a gorgeous family home in South London with her husband Phil Davies.

Kellie plays Sophia in BBC’s Casualty (Image: BBC)

The actress is mum to Louie, Pearl and Ezra (Image: Stacey Clarke/Kelsie Hale)
Kellie and Phil, who is a writer, tied the knot in back in 2013 and welcomed daughter Pearl and son Louie not long after. The couple weren’t expecting to have any more children, but in 2022, Kellie found out she was pregnant with the couple’s third child.

The actress suddenly felt unwell while filming CBeebies show Biff & Chip in Manchester during an intense summer heatwave, and she discovered – much to her “total surprise” – that she was pregnant again. Once she and Phil got their heads around their surprise, they found they were expecting a baby boy.

“We found out we’re having another boy,” Kellie told OK! at the time. “As the pregnancy was a shock, I felt like I wanted to be able to connect with the baby more. I didn’t have a preference – I just want the baby to be healthy.”

Kellie with husband Phil Davies (Image: Can Nguyen/REX/Shutterstock)

Baby Ezra was born in early 2023 (Image: Stacey Clarke/Kelsie Hale)
Ezra Cillian was then born on 2 March 2023, much to Kellie and Phil’s delight. The couple mutually agreed on the unique name in a surprise decision. Explaining how they landed on the moniker, Kellie told us: “When we discussed names, we decided to go, ‘One, two, three…’ and say our favourite name out loud. We both said ‘Ezra’ at the same time and we couldn’t believe it. We hadn’t spoken about the name before and were like, ‘What are the chances?’”

Kellie, who exclusively chatted to OK! just weeks after welcoming Ezra, gushed over her third baby, saying she felt “very lucky”. She told us: “I feel very lucky. It’s like being on happy pills. It’s so all-consuming. You’re so full of love – and knackered! – but you get those moments when Ezra does what looks like a smile and you forget that you’ve been up since 3am. It’s just lovely.”