'EastEnders' star Jo Joyner says she's 'incredibly lucky' to have had twins via IVF

Former EastEnders actor Jo Joyner said she feels "incredibly lucky" that she was able to welcome twins with her husband through IVF.

The 44-year-old star gave birth to Freddie and Edie in December 2009 and told the Mirror she is currently writing a book based around her experiences of the IVF process.

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Joyner said: "I’ve got a lot of journals from when I went through my IVF treatment, for my own sanity. I started journalling as it’s like a form of CBT [cognitive behavioural therapy] really, because a lot of it is laugh or cry.

"But there are funny situations which arise during IVF. It sounds a bit harsh to say, but there are such stupid scenarios that happen – let alone men giving their 'samples', bless them."

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Joyner said that she and her husband Neil Madden — a drama teacher — had "tried everything" to get pregnant, but "nothing worked" until they discussed IVF.

"We had tests and knew there was a slim chance anything [natural] would work and that was when we made the decision to try IVF," she said.

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Joyner added: "The twins were very longed for – we were incredibly lucky because we had them with our first round of IVF.

"I have a great husband, a lovely family, beautiful kids and a job I love. I’m so lucky."

Joyner became a part of the EastEnders cast after portraying one of the main characters in Channel 4 comedy series No Angels.

She joined the soap as part of the Branning family and was a part of several huge storylines alongside her on-screen husband Max, played by Jake Wood.

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Her biggest moments included her character's battle with cervical cancer and the dramatic scenes in which she tried to bury Max alive after his affair with Stacey Slater was revealed.

The character left Albert Square in 2018 when she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital as a result of her grief following the death of her daughter Lauren.

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