EMMERDALE stars Laura Norton and Mark Jordon have been left heartbroken after revealing some difficult health news.
The couple – who share two children – revealed that both their son and daughter have a rare genetic disorder.
Laura, 39, and Mark, 58, recently welcomed their second child, baby girl Ronnie, in October of last year.
The couple – who have both acted in ITV soap Emmerdale – already shared two-year-old son Jesse.
But the newborn stage has been difficult for Laura, who plays Kerry Wyatt, and Mark, who played Daz Spencer, after a series of health issues for both of their children.
Now, the couple have revealed both Jesse and Ronnie have been diagnosed with Usher syndrome.
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While the parents has suspected their first child also had the condition in 2021, they kept the news under wraps.
The rare genetic disease affects both hearing and vision in young children, requiring them to wear hearing aids throughout their lives, and face possibly losing their sight.
Laura admitted they were suffering a knock back with adjusting to the news, that left her "in tears".
Speaking to Hello! magazine, the couple said they knew by "intuition" that something wasn't right with the little ones.
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"My intuition told me there was a serious problem and I was in tears at the thought of it," she said, ahead of the couple taking Ronnie and Jesse for testing.
It revealed that both Laura and Mark carried the gene which causes the condition, which would eventually cause their children to lose their sight.
Laura continued: "Knowing that we'd passed this on to our son was heartbreaking.
"To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful."
Two-year-old Jesse already wears a hearing aid, which means he can "hear aeroplanes in the sky before we can".
Despite the heartbreak, Laura and Mark said they were pleased the two children could have each other, rather than dealign with the condition alone.
While they are also pleased that their two children will have each other, rather than dealing with the condition alone.
Usher Syndrome comes in three types, depending on the severity of the disease and how soon hearing and sight is lost.
There is currently no cure for Usher Syndrome.
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