Helen, 33, had to resort to special measures to cover up her baby bump when shooting the newest instalment of the series which begins on Sunday.

The actress was pregnant with daughter Wren Ivy during the production of the show, before giving birth in September last year.

“I did the Christmas special and the first four episodes [of the new series], but after that I was too big,” she said in a interview with Radio Times.

“I was always carrying things or sitting behind a high desk to conceal my bump. My face and boobs were getting bigger and bigger, it was ridiculous.

“That’s why they dressed me up as the pantomime cow in the Christmas show.”

Helen’s co-star Jack Ashton, who plays Tom Hereford, is the father of her child after they began dating during filming.

The actress split with ex-husband Oliver Boot in 2015 following three years of marriage.

Jack and Helen embarked on a romance when they were in South Africa filming for the 2016 Christmas special, but the pair are not married.

Earlier this month she slammed rumours she was engaged or newly married after constant speculation. 

While their characters did enjoy an engagement on the show, Helen and Jack are not currently wed or engaged.

On the programme, Tom Hereward married Trixie’s colleague Barbara (played by Charlotte Ritchie), while Trixie has been enjoying a new relationship with Christopher Dockerill (Jack Hawkins).

However, a trailer for the upcoming series suggests Trixie may be about to face even more heartbreak as she is seen crying to her beau.

The nurse has struggled through some difficult times as she battled with her alcohol dependency and broken engagement. 

What will the new series have in store for Trixie?

Call the Midwife season seven launches Sunday at 8pm on BBC One. 

The full interview with Helen George can be found in the latest issue of Radio Times, which is out now.