Tina O'Brien posts cryptic message after ex Ryan Thomas announces he’s having a baby with fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh

Tina O’Brien has sparked speculation with a cryptic Instagram post right after her ex Ryan Thomas announced his having a baby with his fiancee Lucy Mecklenburgh.

Former Coronation Street stars O’Brien and Thomas have a 10-year-old daughter Scarlett together, and she was shown crying in a video on social media at being told the news she is to be a big sister.

Thomas shared the Instagram clip of Scarlett being given a box which says ‘Open Me’ and inside is a balloon which reads ‘You’re going to be a big sister.’

Scarlett bursts into tears and is hugged by Thomas and The Only Way Is Essex star Mecklenburgh, who says, “These are happy tears!”

Read more: Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas unveil big news

Thomas, 35, then asks her: “Are you happy? Are you sure?”

O’Brien, 36, posted on Instagram: “Don’t always trust what you see on social media. Even salt looks like sugar.”

When her 412k followers began commenting in reference to Thomas’s video of Scarlett she deleted the post.

She then posted another quote attributed to The Alchemist author Paulo Coelho that said: “Don’t waste your time with explanations. People will hear what they want to hear.”

Scarlett is already big sister to O’Brien’s four-year-old son Beau with husband Adam Crofts. They met in 2011, married last year and Thomas was a guest at the wedding.

O’Brien and Thomas met playing sweethearts Sarah Platt and Jason Grimshaw in ITV soap Corrie and were together from 2003 to 2009.

Thomas has been in a relationship with reality star Mecklenburgh, 28, since 2017 when they met on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, and they became engaged in June. His brothers actor Adam Thomas and Love Island star Scott Thomas can also be seen in the video.

Read more: Tina O'Brien reveals secret struggle with post-natal depression

O’Brien has previously said of her ongoing relationship with Thomas: “It’s taken a lot of years and a lot of biting my tongue. Seriously, though, it’s mainly down to Adam and Ryan.

“It helps that everyone has moved on and is in a happy place. Ryan is really happy and we are happy, so there aren’t any issues.

“For the sake of Scarlett, it has been well worth preserving [our relationship] and choosing our battles.”

Thomas said of Croft: "Adam is cool, he's just a lovely guy.

"As a stepfather in Scarlett's life, I've hit the jackpot. She adores him."