EastEnders star Lucy Benjamin has paid tribute to her eldest daughter on her birthday.

Lucy, who is 55, has two children with former partner Richard Taggart. She became a mum to Bessie in 2006, and gave birth to her second daughter Rosie in 2010.

The actress recently took to Instagram to share a variety of pictures of Bessie over the years, as she reflected on the youngster turning 19.

Lucy, best known for her role as Lisa Fowler in BBC One soap EastEnders, simply wrote in the caption: ‘Happy 19th Birthday Darlin @bessietaggart_’.

The pictures Lucy shared feature Bessie on holiday as she smiles into the distance while at a dinner table, a shot of her in a teal dress showing off her curly hair, just like her mum’s.

There’s also a hilarious snap of Bessie doing a brilliant pose in her selfie, and a throwback shot of Bessie from when she was younger.

Lucy has portrayed Lisa in EastEnders on and off since 1998. The character is the mum of Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper), who she shares with Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden).

In 2023, Lisa returned to Walford alongside young Peggy, who is Louise’s daughter.

Shortly after she arrived back in Albert Square, Lisa explained to Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) that Louise had started taking drugs and drinking booze in the aftermath of her breakup with Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters).

Lisa told Sonia that she was back to get revenge on Keanu following his affair with Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

Her revenge plan saw Lisa blackmail Keanu into giving her money and in return, she allowed him to see Peggy, but we discovered that Lisa was only doing this because she had developed a gambling addiction.

She departed Walford in the back of a cab and headed back to Portugal, stopping Keanu from continuing his custody plan.

Away from EastEnders, Lucy has appeared in shows including The Dumping Ground, Doctors and Detectorists.