James and Ola Jordan were over the moon after welcoming their beautiful daughter Ella back in February, but their happy addition to the family was sadly overshadowed by the awful news that James' father had suffered a stroke in March, and then a second one in early April. In their parenting column for HELLO!, James and Ola have opened up about the struggle of being unable to visit James' dad in hospital, and how their daughter has been a light in their lives during this very difficult time.
James recently shared a lovely photo with his baby girl
"It's really hard," James explains as he talks about his dad's condition. "He's back in hospital and he's alone - no one can stay with him there, no one can go with him because of the coronavirus."
"You can ring the hospital and find out the latest updates," Ola adds. "But they are only going to tell you so much and you feel so helpless because you can't physically see him - you can't do anything. You can speak to the people you need to speak to, but you can't see him and see how he's doing. You can't hold his hand, you can't give him a cuddle, it's really hard. But there's no optoin, we need to stay safe and we need to stay at home."
WATCH: James and Ola show off baby Ella's nursery
This heartbreaking situation is understandably taking a huge toll on the whole family. "It's a tough time for everyone but I'm really struggling at the moment," James admits. "I know lots of people are in the same boat but living through this is actually horrific. I class myself as mentally quite a strong person but this has really got to me this time. I'm finding it hard. I know a lot of people are... My mum said to me today, 'I can't even cuddle you.' It's so hard and lots of people are going through it... I know thousands and thousands of people are going through the same thing and I feel sorry for every one of them. It's a horrendous time."
James and Ola welcomed their daughter in February
James' dad is suffering from confusion in hospital which makes matters even worse. "Apparently he's still not making any sense, he doesn't really know what's going on," says James tearfully. "They said to me, 'Who's Sharon,' and I explained that's my mum. They said he keeps calling out for her. It's so awful."
While this situation is enough to make anyone fall apart, James insists he has no choice - he has to remain strong for Ella, who is now six weeks old. "I had a reality check the other day because I had a bit of a meltdown and Ola said, 'You've got to stay strong for your baby.'" Ola agrees: "Yeah, we don't want you getting ill and going into hospital. We need you to look after us!"
READ: James and Ola Jordan melt hearts with adorable new pictures of baby Ella
"Ella's the one thing that is keeping us going, she's keeping us busy," says James, his voice brightening. "Time flies around the baby. I don't want to be doom and gloom but in our life at the moment, Ella is the one joy. She's been a breath of fresh air. I think without her in my life at the moment I'd be even more of a mess. I know I have to be strong for her. She's been a little pickle."
"When we wake up in the morning and she looks at you and she smiles, it really is lovely," adds Ola.
The couple have regularly posted snaps of their daughter on Instagram
READ: James Jordan shares cute new photo of baby Ella and she's identical to mum Ola
Of course, Ella has been keeping them busy, and the couple reveal that she is already growing out of her newborn outfits. "All the newborn clothes were way too big which we thought were bizarre but now she's growing out of them," says Ola. "She's definitely growing out of some of the outfits so I'm putting them away which is sad. I'm looking at them like, 'Aw she's not going to wear them anymore! But she does like her food! She kicks off if she doesn't have her food."
"I think she gets that from her mum!" teases James.
Tune in next week to find out what Easter under lockdown looks like in the Jordan household.