Zoe Salmon has shared the heartbreaking reason she decided to elope with long time love Will Corrie earlier this year. The former Blue Peter star wed Will in Barbados in April, without a single family member or friend there to witness it. Now she has opened up about that difficult decision for the first time, and revealed that it was because her mother Priscilla was too ill to attend – sadly Priscilla passed away after battling a terminal illness just last month.
"That was the difficult thing," Zoe told Belfast Live, referring to reports at the time that suggested she hadn't even told her family. "My parents knew all about it, they paid for our wedding. But mum was just too ill to be there.
Zoe Salmon has revealed she decided to elope because her mum was too sick to attend her wedding
"I can only really say that now because at the time mum's illness was so private, she didn't want anyone to know. People were baffled about why we'd done it, but that's why."
The star also opened up about her "lovely" wedding day - which was featured exclusively in HELLO!. "I felt like mum was there with me in a way because for my 'something borrowed' she gave me her bottle of Channel No5 and I wore it that day," she said.
"It's the perfume she wore her whole life and wearing it made me feel like mum, one of the most special people in my whole life, was there with me."
Zoe pictured with her mother Priscilla, who sadly passed away last month
Zoe, who is currently starring in Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls, said her parents were over the moon that she and Will had tied the knot.
"I spoke to mum and dad after the wedding – they hadn't known the exact day that week we were doing it, so that was the surprise bit," she said. "But they were thrilled for us. They'd known Will for more than five years so they were delighted.
"The main difference with our wedding and the rest of the family was that they had a party when they got home, but of course we couldn't do that because mum was too ill to be there. Again, because it was all so private no one outside the family knew why. I hope now people understand."