Joseph Millson is set to marry for a third time as he announced his engagement to his girlfriend Lilli Fichtner. 

Taking to Instagram over the weekend, the EastEnders actor, 51, revealed his happy news. 

Joseph revealed how Lilli, who is nearly twenty years his junior, had made him fall in love again, a year after his divorce from his wife on 12 years, Sarah Jane Potts. 

The soap star, who played Jason James, the fiancé of Lynne Hobb on the BBC soap, wrote: "Surprised by joy" as Wordsworth would say…Not too long ago I was pretty certain my old heart was too bruised and bashed to ever love again. It was going to take someone pretty extraordinary to breathe life into it. 

'Then I met Lilli. A woman shaped by kindness, intelligence, talent, beauty, patience, humour and humanity. 

'So as the world spends money on commercial s***e, I actually like to think of the old martyr St Valentine himself who was busy arranging secret marriages and stuff in a scary Roman world. Love takes courage. Count me in.'

Lilli, 32, who is an actress from Germany, also uploaded a photo of the dazzling diamond engagement ring, but revealed the proposal actually happened over Christmas. 

She wrote: 'He said yes! (and so did I)'. 

Fans congratulated the couple on their happy news. They wrote: 'Congratulations. You’ve really been through the mill, son (pun intended) and deserve all happiness'; 

'Love everything about this. Much joy and love always to you both!'.  

The couple went Instagram official in April last year following the breakdown of his marriage to actress Sarah. 

Joseph and Sarah met on the set of the BBC medical drama Holby City and played the on-screen couple Luc Hemingway and Eddi Nicholls. They married in 2013. 

They separated in 2024 and finalised their divorce last year after 12 years of marriage.

Joseph was married to Caroline Fitzgerald from 1999 to 2011 and they share two children; a daughter Jessie and son Gabe.

He is most widely known for his roles in Holby City,  Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures and The Last Kingdom. 

Joseph also appeared as MI6 agent Carter in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale.