Emmerdale's Holly Barton star Sophie Powles reveals she has secretly welcomed her second child

Emmerdale's Sophie Powles has revealed she secretly welcomed her second child before Christmas.

The soap star, 32, who played Holly Barton from 2009 to 2012, announced her jovial baby news in an Instagram post shared on Friday.

Sophie, who announced her pregnancy in July, confirmed she had given birth to a daughter before Christmas as she shared adorable photos with her little one.

Sophie already shares daughter Marli with her partner Mark Waters, and posted a sweet photo of her cuddled up with her two children in front of the Christmas tree.

She also shared a photo of herself planting a kiss on her newborn daughter's head as she confirmed her happy news but kept her second child's name a secret.

She wrote in a caption: “Our little girl arrived before Christmas making it the most magical yet.”

Sophie gave birth to her first daughter, named Marli Ocean Waters, in August 2021, with the star announcing the news on Instagram at the time.

She then confirmed with a sweet Instagram post that she and Mark were expecting their second child together in July 2023.

The actress shared a photo of herself flaunting her baby bump as she held her daughter in the air while enjoying a dip in the sea.

She captioned her post: “Another little friend joining us on our adventures…”

Sophie is best known for her role as Holly in Emmerdale, which she got as a teenager.

The actress dyed her blonde hair brown for the role and played Holly in the soap for three years.

She briefly returned to the soap in 2016 and was praised for her convincing portrayal of Holly's death from a drug overdose.

The soap star, 32, who played Holly Barton from 2009 to 2012, announced her jovial baby news in an Instagram post shared on Friday (pictured with her newborn)

Sophie already shares a daughter Marli with her partner Mark Waters (pictured), who they welcomed in August 2021

Holly, who became Emmerdale's first teenage drug addict in 2010, shocked viewers when she died after overdosing on heroin in devastating scenes.

Sofie told me Digital spy that she found the storyline “challenging” but that it was “a very serious and stark warning” that showed the effects drug addiction can have on people.

The actress added that she was proud of the storyline and hoped it would raise awareness.

Before she gave birth for the first time, Sophie opened up about the difficulties of finding work as an actress and how she felt like a 'failure' when she had to work in a cafe to pay the bills.

She wrote on Instagram: 'I moved to London a few years ago to pursue my acting career.

Sophie is best known for her role as Holly in Emmerdale, which she got as a teenager. She played the role for three years until 2012, before returning briefly in 2016

Sophie has previously spoken about the difficulties of finding work as an actress and how she felt like a 'failure' when she had to take a cafe job to pay the bills

'Eventually I realized the lessons I was learning. To simply find happiness in the everyday and the people you have around you.

'To be grateful that you just wake up and are healthy. Breaking the habit I had of thinking that if I get that acting job or that audition, I will be happy.

“To know that the depression and anxiety I continue to battle are only temporary. It's so hard to even get an audition or email answered, let alone a real job.

'In addition to various odd jobs as an actor, I spent most of my time working in a health food cafe. It felt like a defeat. It felt like failure.'