As they look forward to planning their wedding next year, Emmerdale star Laura Norton and her fiancé, actor Mark Jordon, appear to have it all: a perfect partnership, two beautiful young children and a lovely home. However, this reality is tinged with fear for the future. Since 2021, the couple have been secretly dealing with the consequences of a cruel double blow that will affect their family forever.
Their two-year-old son Jesse and four-month-old daughter Ronnie have both been diagnosed with Usher syndrome – an extremely rare genetic condition that affects their hearing and vision and requires them not only to wear hearing aids for the rest of their lives, but also to prepare for severe sight loss when they become teenagers or young adults.
To raise awareness and increase research into this little-known condition, Laura and Mark are opening up for the first time in this exclusive interview with HELLO! about the traumatic challenges they have faced. But it is not a decision they've taken lightly.
Emmerdale star Laura Norton and her fiancé, actor Mark Jordon, appear to have it all
PHOTOS: CATHERINE BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
"We've agonised about doing this before we’ve even told our children about their condition," says Mark, 58, who met Laura – who plays Kerry Wyatt in Emmerdale – when he joined the cast as Daz Spencer in 2014.
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"But we would never forgive ourselves if we did nothing when we could be making changes that would help them and other children. So we're going to write them a letter to explain why we did this and show it even chooses what colour he likes now – the green ones – and he’s very proud of them.
"Although it was devastating when Ronnie was diagnosed with the same condition as her brother, it was comforting that neither of them will go through this on their own; that they've got each other. As they grow up, Jesse will be the best influence and support for her."
Jesse and Ronnie are lively, energetic youngsters
PHOTOS: CATHERINE BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Coming to terms with the life-changing condition has been gradual, but far from easy. The first indication that Jesse had a hearing problem became evident just after he was born in January 2021.
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Despite their condition, Jesse and Ronnie are lively, energetic youngsters whose beaming smiles show how happy they are in spite of what they’ve been through.
PHOTOS: CATHERINE BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY
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