Charley Webb has been praised after revealing her family's decision to store her baby son Ace's stem cells. The Emmerdale actress opened up about her and husband Matthew Wolfenden's choice in a lengthy Instagram post, which was accompanied by a gorgeous photo of the three-month-old lying in his cot. It read: "We decided to store Ace’s stem cells. As parents every single one of us wants to do what’s best for our children. When I was pregnant, I heard about the possibility of collecting and storing my baby's umbilical cord stem cells, which could then be used in the future should they be needed for treatment (I hope with every part of me we never need it)."
Emmerdale star Charley Webb revealed that she is storing baby Ace's stem cells
The Debbie Dingle actress continued: "After researching, we learned that the baby's umbilical cord is a valuable source of stem cells, and these cells can be collected at birth and stored. These could then be used as a crucial part of treating or curing an illness. Currently, there are over 80 diseases cord blood stem cells can treat. I decided to use Smart Cells to store the stem cells: the process was easy (genuinely) and they organised everything. Like I said, we hope we never need to use them, but it's comforting to know that we have them stored if we ever do. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m so grateful we were able to do this. Xx."
MORE: Romeo Beckham copies dad David's famous hairstyle
Charley has been keeping in touch with her Emmerdale co-stars during her maternity leave
Fellow parents commented on Charley's post and were full of admiration, with one writing: "This is amazing! Honestly amazing!" while another wrote: "Wow, I've never heard of this but thanks for sharing." A third added: "Amazing! Such an important thing and I think every parent should consider doing this as it may save a life so respect for you. And Ace is so cute." Ace is Charley and Matthew's third child, and is a younger brother to Buster, nine, and three-year-old Bowie.
READ: Piers Morgan shares rare photo of children during break from GMB
Charley has been updating her fans throughout her postpartum journey since welcoming Ace in July and is currently on maternity leave from Emmerdale. Her character has been temporarily written out, with Debbie having gone to Scotland to run a garage that Lisa Dingle left for her in her will. The doting mum has been enjoying spending quality time with her children while off work and took her youngest two sons on a day out to a wildlife park earlier in the week. Charley has also been keeping in touch with her co-stars, and has been visited by her on-screen mum, Emma Atkins, who plays Charity Dingle in the show, and Katy Hill, who plays her on-screen daughter Sarah Sugden.
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
