'It's Heartbreaking To Know Ben And Elsie Will Never Meet'

Former EastEnders Star Brookekinsella exclusively invites ok! Into her home to share her exciting new baby joy and reflects on the difficult reality that her brother ben isn’t here to enjoy it

- Chloe Alexandrou

It’s not been easy for first-time mums giving birth in the middle of a pandemic, but campaigner Brooke Kinsella has taken it all in her stride. In fact, she’s beaming with happiness when we sit down to chat over a mid-morning Zoom call. Brooke welcomed her daughter Elsie in September, and the former EastEnders star, 36, has taken to motherhood like a duck to water.

While Elsie spends the interview nestled in her cot, we get the lowdown from Brooke on how she’s finding being a mum, how her husband Simon Boardley, 42, is a natural at fatherhood, and the joy Elsie has brought them since her arrival.

Sadly though, it’s a bittersweet experience for Brooke since her brother Ben isn’t around to share in their delight. Ben, who was best friends with Birds Of A Feather star Linda Robson’s son Louis, was tragically stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack back in 2008 in

London, when he was just 16 years old. That night, Brooke’s life was set on a trajectory she never expected it to take. She founded the Ben Kinsella Trust and began pouring her time and energy into anti-knife crime campaigning, earning herself an MBE for her work in the field.

During our heartbreakingly honest conversation, she opens up about what a wonderful uncle Ben would have been, as well as the close bond she’s formed with Linda, who she describes as “a second mum”. And despite the sadness Brooke carries following her brother’s death, her new bundle of joy has given her the biggest reason to smile.