Laura Norton was left in tears over the thought of passing on a rare and incurable disease to both of her children.
The Emmerdale star – who is best known for her role as Kerry Wyatt’s on the soap – is currently appearing on ITV’s reality series Drama Queens on Wednesday (April 10), she will be spread awareness for Usher syndrome and hopes to one day find a cure for her babies.
She shares two children with her on-screen co-star and fiancé Mark Jordon, Jesse, two, and Ronnie who is nearly one. They had no idea that as parents were both gene carriers for the disease.
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The TV star’s two children have now both been diagnosed with the rare condition that affects hearing, sight and balance. The new docu-series explores what life is like for the family of four and how it has impacted their lives.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
In an interview with Hello magazine, Laura detailed the moment she realised both Jesse and Ronnie had been handed the rare condition because of the gene pool she shared with her husband.
The actress explained: “My intuition told me there was a serious problem and I was in tears at the thought of it. Knowing that we’d passed this on to our son was heartbreaking.
(Image: laura_norts/Instagram)
“To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful. I have something that I’m carrying now that we never had before and life is not what it once was… It’s heartbreaking,” Laura explained.
She added: “The scary thing for us was the unknown and does it stop them from doing things… There’s so much to think about.”
(Image: laura_norts/Instagram)
At the present moment, there is no cure for Usher syndrome which can cause hearing and vision impairments and even result in complete vision loss down the line. Children with the disease can also experience balance issues if they’re born with type 1.
Although the revelation has been earth shattering for the family, Laura is trying to find all of the positives in the situation and has even hailed her career as a soap star for giving her a platform to raise awareness.
On an episode of Loose Women, she explained: “It might sound really weird to hear this but I feel like the babies having this diagnosis… I’ve found my purpose. I can use my platform and you can use yours (she said to her partner Mark) and we can do something really amazing.”
Drama Queens airs Wednesdays at 9pm on ITVBe and ITVX and Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
