Sunny California is a far cry from wet Walford, which is probably why EastEnders actress Laila Morse - who plays Big Mo - chose to spend the festivities in Palm Springs this year with her brother Gary Oldman. Fans are often still surprised to learn that Laila's brother is Hollywood star Gary, which is why they were delighted to see rare photos of the siblings together on Instagram. The Oldmans' Christmas was well documented by Gary's wife Gisele Schmidt, who shared a collection of candid snaps over the festive period. In one photo, Laila - whose real name is Maureen Oldman - helped prepare Christmas dinner, before she joined the rest of the extended family to pose for another photo ahead of tucking into the turkey. In another hilarious picture, Laila photobombed Gary and Gisele as they shared a kiss together.
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Lalia helps Gary in the kitchen
Excited fans wrote humorous and heartfelt comments on the photos, with one joking: "Bit sunnier there Mo than Albert Square!" while another said: "I love you big mo. You're a legend." A third added: "Much love to you all and a special hug to Mo! X" One fan even referenced Laila's appearance on TV cooking show Come Dine With me, commenting on the photo of her helping prepare dinner in the kitchen with: "I remember laila on Come Dine With Me. Good luck guys."
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Cute family photo!
Laila and Gary were also joined by their sister Jackie and the Gary's youngest sons Gulliver, 21, and Charlie, 19, as well as his wife Gisele's son William, 10, and her parents. Gisele is Gary's fifth wife and they married in September 2017 after Gary proposed to her while dressed as Winston Churchill on the set of the Darkest Hour. It certainly looked like the whole family had lots of fun together and celebrated Christmas in the best way - with plenty of good humour!
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