Yahoo News Emmerdale star opens up about kids' health diagnosis amid show return
Emmerdale star Laura Norton has opened up on her children's Usher syndrome diagnosis amid her return to the soap.
Appearing on ITV's new soap-star reality series Drama Queens on Wednesday (April 10), Laura prepared for her return to the Dales after giving birth to her second child.
During her preparations for character Kerry Wyatt's Cher-themed reappearance on Emmerdale, Laura sat down with her fiancé Mark Jordon to discuss how she was feeling about finishing her maternity leave.
The actor took the moment to reflect on their children, Ronnie and Jesse, being diagnosed with the rare genetic condition and how it has impacted their lives.
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"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.
"The scary thing for us was the unknown and does it stop them from doing things... There's so much to think about."
A rare genetic condition with no cure, Usher syndrome causes impairment to both hearing and vision, which can also lead to severe vision loss later in life. Babies born with type 1 Usher syndrome can also experience balance issues.
Despite her children's health remaining at the front of her mind, the actor went on to explain how it was something that motivated her to use her platform to raise awareness on the condition.
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"It might sound really weird to hear this but I feel like the babies having this diagnosis... I've found my purpose," Laura revealed, explaining that she felt like it was fate that she met Mark and had a public following as an actress.
"I can use my platform and you can use yours and we can do something really amazing," she added.
"So now I've just got to rock going back to work so they can see that mummy rocks."
Drama Queens airs on ITVBe and ITVX. Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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