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Emmerdale couple Mark Jordon and Laura Norton open up about son’s health diagnosis

Former Emmerdale couple Mark Jordon and Laura Norton have opened up about their son’s Usher syndrome diagnosis.

The pair, who played Daz Spencer and Kerry Wyatt on the soap respectively, have two children together, with Jesse being born in 2021 and daughter Ronnie following a year later.

Both children were diagnosed with the rare condition, which causes deafness or hearing loss along with an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP).

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Appearing on Loose Women, the couple revealed that their son was diagnosed with Usher syndrome over a year after a hearing test, with the diagnosis only becoming evident after Laura gave birth to Ronnie.

"It took a year to come back, so I think the moment had gone and we just thought it was a weird little anomaly," said Laura (via Metro). "He’s got hearing loss – it’s part of who he is now. He’s thriving [and] it’s great we’ve learned so much about it.

"It’s weird because that in itself felt like a big change to the dynamics you imagine as a parent, but instantly you go into defence mode," added Mark. "That’s fine – he’ll just have really funky hearing aids and we’ll master everything, we’ll make sure his speech is fine."

The couple, who met in 2014, spoke last month about Jesse and Ronnie, with Laura revealing she was initially "heartbroken" at the news of the diagnosis.

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"Knowing that we'd passed this on to our son was heartbreaking," she said. "To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful."

"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," added Mark. "As they grow up, Jesse will be the best influence and support for her."

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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