Emmerdale's Michelle Hardwick pregnant as she and wife expecting first child

Emmerdale star Michelle Hardwick is expecting a baby with her TV producer wife.

The 44-year-old actress - who has played Vanessa Woodfield in the ITV soap since 2010 - has announced that she is pregnant with her first child and due to give birth in October 2020.

Hardwick shared on Instagram: “Coming in October. Baby Brooks”.

The soap star is married to Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks. They confirmed they were dating in 2018 and tied the knot in Graceland in Setember 2019.

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The couple share a pet dog Fred who they joked will be on “big brother duties”.

Hardwick first spoke out about her sexuality in 2013 and was previously married to music teacher Rosie Nicholl for two years before they divorced in 2017.

Hardwick revealed in October 2018 that she had proposed to Brooks, writing on social media: “So after months of planning, I popped the question!!!

“She said yes!!!”

Speaking about coming out in 2013 Hardwick said: “Since joining Emmerdale I’ve been getting asked about my personal life and when people want to know ‘do you have a boyfriend?’ it’s tricky.

“I don’t want to hide anything. I’ve never actually been able to talk about ‘my girlfriend’ or ‘partner’ – this person that means everything to me, and it feels good to be able to finally do it.”

She added: “I was late coming out to my family – I was 29. I spoke to my dad and I was scared how he’d react but he was phenomenal.

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“As a teenager, it was hard as I had to keep things secret and it shouldn’t be that way. Hopefully things are different now.

“It’s important to be open, I’m very happy with my life.”

Hardwick plays vet Vanessa in Emmerdale, who questioned her own sexuality after falling in love her best friend Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry).

She has also appeared in Coronation Street and starred as hospital receptionist Lizzie Hopkirk in the ITV period drama series The Royal.