'EastEnders' star Louisa Lytton opens up about catching COVID after giving birth

Louisa Lytton has said she didn’t get “the best start” to motherhood because she contacted COVID shortly after giving birth.

The EastEnders star, 32, welcomed daughter Aura in September and caught the virus soon after.

Speaking on Loose Women, she said: “It was difficult because I had a long labour which resulted in an emergency C-section and just as we were finding our feet, we then both got COVID.

“So it’s not been the best start.

"But she’s been fine throughout, so that’s all we can ask for really.”

Read more: EastEnders' Louisa Lytton on filming her Ruby Allen baby while pregnant in real life

Lytton - who plays Ruby Allen on the BBC soap - said she has found it “takes a while to get into the swing” of being a mum.

“I just don’t think anything prepares you,” she said.

“I read every book, I spoke to every friend and she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us, but it is tough.”

The star also shared that having a baby girl was a “shock to the system” because she and her partner Ben Bhanvra had been convinced they were having a boy.

Read more: Lacey Turner reveals baby's 'cool' and unusual name

Discussing how she picked the name Aura for her new arrival, Lytton explained: “Throughout my whole pregnancy we thought we were having a boy, so we had a shortlist of girls names and boys names.

“But we forgot about the girls names.

“Ben found it somewhere.

"When we then had her, it was such a shock to the system that we didn’t name her for the first few days because we hadn’t thought about it, so we went back to list and it seemed to be the name that suited her the most.”

Loose Women airs on weekdays from 12.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub.

Watch: Louisa Lytton announces pregnancy on Mother's Day