Former EastEnders star Danny Walters has secretly welcomed his first child with his long-term partner Maddi.
The 31-year-old actor, who played Keanu Taylor in the BBC soap until his character was killed off in dramatic scenes in 2023, announced the birth of his baby girl.
The couple’s daughter, named Autumn, was born in March 2025, with Walters sharing the news on social media yesterday.
Walters took to Instagram to share a sweet black and white photo of his daughter’s tiny hand on top of his and Maddi’s.
“One month with you, Autumn. Born March ’25,” he wrote alongside the touching image.
The actor had kept the pregnancy private, with the birth announcement coming as a surprise to many fans.
The post marked the first public acknowledgement of the couple’s new arrival, who is now one month old.
The soap star has been inundated with congratulatory messages from his former EastEnders co-stars.
Diane Parish, who plays Denise Fox, commented: “Ah, wow! Congrats to you all, Danny.”
Emma Barton, known for her role as Honey Mitchell, wrote: “Congrats darling…” alongside heart emojis.
The star played bad boy Keanu Taylor in the BBC soap
BBC
Clair Norris, who portrayed Walters’ on-screen sister Bernadette Taylor, simply responded with a series of heart emojis. (sic)
Walters is best known for his role as Keanu Taylor in EastEnders, which came to a dramatic end during the Christmas 2023 storyline.
His character was killed off as part of a major whodunnit plot that had kept viewers guessing for ten months, and his death became one of the soap’s most talked-about moments.
Six Walford women banded together to cover up the murder and have successfully evaded the police ever since.
Following his departure from the soap, Walters admitted he had gone to great lengths to keep it secret.
“It’s been extremely difficult! I feel like I’ve been very deceitful to my friends and my family and have made many excuses,” he previously shared.
The character’s death was part of a year-long storyline
BBC
“But, I wanted the storyline to have as much impact as possible for the audience, so I’ve tried my best to keep everything a secret.”
The actor also expressed his enjoyment at being central to the Christmas special.
