Emmerdale’s Laura Norton and Mark Jordon reveal rare syndrome affecting their kids

Mark Jordon and Laura Norton have shared that their two children have been diagnosed with the same rare genetic disease.

The Emmerdale stars and real-life couple welcomed their baby girl Ronnie in October 2022, joining their eldest son Jesse, two, and have since discovered that both infants have the same condition, known as Usher syndrome.

Usher syndrome affects both vision and hearing, and can lead to deafness, issues with balance, and the development of an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

There is no cure for the disease, however there are management methods used to treat the issues caused by the condition.

Norton, 39, revealed she was left “in tears” prior to her children being diagnosed, after spotting a “serious problem” with her son’s hearing, and was “devastated” along with fiancé Jordon, 58, to eventually discover their children have the same condition.

Speaking to Hello! about the diagnosis, Jordon said: “We’ve agonised about doing this before we’ve even told our children about their condition.

“But we would never forgive ourselves if we did nothing when we could be making changes that would help them and other children.”

The soap actor added that he and Norton have planned to write their children a letter to explain to them their shared condition.

Jordon continued: “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."

Jordon met Norton on the set of Emmerdale when he joined in 2014. The actor has two older children from his previous marriage to actress Siobhan Finneran, whom he split from that year.

Jordon and Norton learnt through the diagnosis that they both carry the gene which causes the condition their children have.

“Knowing that we’d passed this on to our son was heart-breaking,” Norton said.

“To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful.”

The mum-of-two added: “Jesse now wears a hearing aid,” which Norton says helps him to “hear airplanes in the sky before we can”.