Coronation Street Stars Celebrate Nikki Sanderson at Lavish Baby Shower

Nikki Sanderson marked her final weeks before motherhood at a blue-themed baby shower the day before Mother's Day, posing with partner Anthony Quinlan beneath a blue balloon arch as a procession of soap colleagues turned out to celebrate the couple's imminent arrival.

The 41-year-old actress, best known for playing hairdresser Candice Stowe on Coronation Street from 1999 to 2005 and more recently Maxine Minniver in Hollyoaks, wore a theme-appropriate blue dress for the occasion. Quinlan, her co-parent and fellow soap actor, was at her side throughout. The event drew former colleagues from across the British soap landscape, with Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale all represented in what amounted to a full-scale reunion of the genre's long-serving cast community.

Among the most recognisable faces were Jane Danson and Samia Longchambon, who continue to play Leanne Battersby and Maria Connor respectively on Coronation Street. The pair made the most of the photobooth setup, donning wigs and sunglasses and holding up "baby boy" signs for the cameras. Both wore blue shirts in keeping with the event's colour theme.

Sanderson and Quinlan had announced their pregnancy in December via a festive-themed Instagram clip. Earlier in March, they followed up with a gender reveal video confirming they are expecting a boy. Speaking to Closer ahead of the shower, Sanderson said the couple had no strong preference going in: "Anthony and I always said that we didn't mind what we were having as long as our baby is healthy." She added that something had always pointed her toward this outcome: "There was no, 'I'd love this or that' - we were just over the moon, but subconsciously, I always felt like I was going to be a boy mum and my family said the same."

The Manchester United connection came up too. "Whenever I thought about motherhood, I just kept envisioning a baby boy in my arms," Sanderson told Closer. "Anthony's thrilled because he's going to have a mini Manchester United sidekick!"

With the shower falling the day before Mother's Day, Sanderson also took the opportunity to photograph herself with her own mother, Jude, sharing the image the following day with the caption: "Happy Mother's Day to the bestest Mummy in the whole wide world! If I can be even half the Mother you have been to James and I then I will know I've done something right."

Sanderson left Coronation Street more than two decades ago but the turnout at her shower suggested those on-set relationships have held firm. The party drew not just her Corrie contemporaries but a wider circle of soap alumni, reinforcing her continued standing within an industry she has worked across for the better part of three decades.