EMOTIONAL Gary Lucy last night broke his silence over his shock split from pregnant Laura Anderson, declaring: “I’ll never stop loving her.”
The Hollyoaks and former EastEnders star, 41, said he was “gutted” when Laura ended their relationship because he had fallen “head over heels” in love with her.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun on Sunday, Gary added: “It’s been really hard and I’m devastated it’s over romantically.
"I think the world of her.”
The former Footballers’ Wives actor met Laura, 33, on E4’s Celebs Go Dating in October last year and says he was smitten the moment he clapped eyes on her.
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Divorced Gary — who has two sons and two daughters with his former wife, Natasha — and Scot Laura got together and she fell pregnant within a few months.
The Love Island star revealed last week she was expecting, before news of their split emerged — posting a loving montage of videos from their first Christmas along with her 12-week baby scan.
Gary, who is best known to millions as PC Will Fletcher on long-running ITV police drama The Bill, says the pregnancy was not planned, but added that he was “excited and happy” at the prospect of becoming a dad again.
Yet Laura dumped him a fortnight ago following a series of rows and his refusal to move to her native Scotland.
Gary, who was born and lives in Essex, said: “Laura did want me to move but I have my responsibilities here.
“I have four kids and all the things that go along with that so it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to uproot at this time.
“Having gone through a divorce, my children need me and living such a long way from them just would not be possible.
“I wish I could break myself in half. I would if I could.”
The star, who admits he was sold on Laura “from the first minute I saw her”, added: “I know Laura was over the moon (about the baby).
"However, things aren’t as I’d have loved them to be.
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“I’m a romantic, so I want things to be perfect.
"I’ll always want that fairytale, but as you get older, you have to realise it doesn’t always work out.
“I’m really gutted. I haven’t stopped loving her and I won’t stop loving her.”
Despite their split pain, Gary has been supporting Laura through her pregnancy.
He went to Glasgow last weekend, he says, to see the first scan of his unborn child who he already refers to as “Baby Bear”.
Gary says, he bought Laura Valentine’s Day gifts including a bracelet engraved with the words “Baby Bear, Mummy Bear and Daddy Bear” before taking his ex to dinner.
He said: “I was at the scan which was amazing, and we went for a nice bit of food.
"I gave her a gift from the baby to her, some flowers saying: ‘I can’t wait to meet you, mummy’.”
The couple’s split follows weeks of rumours that the relationship may be on the rocks.
Last month, eagle-eyed followers spotted that Gary and Laura had apparently unfollowed each other on social media.
Laura quickly denied that their relationship was in trouble and said she had been teaching Gary “how to block a troll” when it happened.
Tearful Gary, meanwhile, says that he is still hopeful that he will win Laura back.
He says that he wants to send her a message to say he “loves her more than ever and he’ll never stop loving her”.
Gary also admits he is keen that the pair can set their distance differences aside before their child’s birth in August.
Former Dancing on Ice contestant Gary has also admitted that he struggled to meet women following his divorce from Natasha in 2018.
He said: “I’ve had an awful experience of dating again, it’s a whole new world now and when you’re busy, where do you meet people?
“I think there are a lot of people of my age, older and some younger, that kind of go, ‘S***, where do you go from here, where do you meet people?’.”
The star, who has previously dated fellow EastEnder Michelle Ryan, 38, and Liberty X star Michelle Heaton, 43, has hit out at claims he is a “womaniser”.
He said: “I’ve only had three or four proper relationships in my life, one of which was obviously the mother of my kids.
“Yes, I did sleep around a lot when I was younger but I don’t have much experience when it comes to dating.
“It was either hook-ups while clubbing or long-term relationships.”
Former hairdresser and flight attendant Laura, meanwhile, appeared on Love Island in 2018.
She initially coupled up with Wes Nelson, 25, until he got eyes for Essex model Megan Barton Hanson, 24, when she entered the show.
Since leaving the villa, Laura has kept herself in the spotlight, racking up more than 1.5million followers on social media.
“The baby is our number one priority. I’d love a football team of kids and I’m almost there.
“I can’t wait to meet the new bundle of joy.”
She previously dated singer Dane Bowers, 43, but they split for good last August.
They had got back together in 2021, three years after she first dumped him for cheating.
At the time, she revealed how she was able to trust her boyfriend again and how they were trying for a baby.
Last year, she said: “Relationships only really ever work out when you both love each other equally, which is something that is actually quite hard to find, and is often down to timing.”
Gary — who has had two stints on Hollyoaks as footballer Luke Morgan and who played Danny Pennant on EastEnders — desperately wants to get back with her.
He said: “Looking for love elsewhere isn’t on the radar.”
He added: “We can’t get things to work at this time, but who knows what the future holds?
“I think the world of her.
"She’s carrying my child and I love her even more than I did before because of who she is and what she is doing.
“It’s incredible. She’s doing a wonderful job.
“I would have loved things to have worked out.
“But we’re doing our best to do things right and be responsible, loving co-parents going forward."
