Emmerdale's Laura Norton talks wedding plans and tells of her children's incurable condition

In Emmerdale, chaotic Kerry Wyatt is the sixth wife of Eric Pollard and it looks like she may suffer a dramatic end, like a few of his ex-spouses. Perhaps, like Henry VIII’s sixth wife, she will survive, although their sham marriage of convenience is already rocked by her affair with Jai Sharma . Things in real life are far steadier for Laura Norton , 42, who plays Kerry, but there is uncertainty as to when she and her fiance of seven years will marry. Kerry met actor Mark Jordon , 61, who has played Dale’s Daz Spencer on and off since 2014, 11 years ago. They have been engaged for seven years. Their children Jesse, five, and Ronnie, three, both have Usher syndrome, a rare and currently incurable genetic condition, causing hearing and vision loss. She and Mark are throwing all their energy into organising September’s Cure Usher Ball in London. She says: “There’s just the two of us doing it and I’ve got lists all over the house. That’s why we can’t get married this year – it would be crazy to try to plan a wedding as well as a ball for 350 people.” Laura has also been helping Emmerdale mark Deaf Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday, by releasing four videos in which she teaches her co-star, Mike Parr, who plays Ross Barton, British Sign Language. Kerry has had BSL lessons, as have Mark, Jesse and Ronnie. She says: “Deaf Awareness Week is important to us, as both of our children have been diagnosed with hearing loss and they both wear hearing aids. “As they got older, we wanted to learn sign language. It’s a wonderful skill. I’m also hopeful that these videos, although a bit of fun, might encourage people to think about learning to sign, too. When we’re not at work, or with the kids, we’re busy planning the [Cure Usher] ball. Our son Jesse said, ‘Are you ever even going to marry Daddy?’” When they first got engaged, their dream was to have a lavish wedding abroad. She says: “Now we just want a big celebration of love and it doesn’t matter where we do it, how we do it and how cheaply we do it.” They are considering getting hitched on Kelvin Fletcher ’s farm. The ex-Strictly winner and Emmerdale actor, who played Andy Sugden for 20 years, runs a 120-acre working farm in Cheshire with his wife Liz. Laura says: “I haven’t told Kelvin this yet, but he’ll be fine with it. They have had a wedding there, so we know he does them. We’d want our ­children to be a part of it, because they’re part of everything we do. “We want a big party, maybe outdoors with a festival vibe, where all of our friends and loved ones are in the same place. I’m not opposed to next year.” Laura and Mark, also known as PC Phil Bellamy from ITV ’s Heartbeat, were shocked by their children’s diagnoses. But she says: “We never think ‘why us?’ Would I rather they weren’t going through it? Yes. But all we can do is turn it into something positive. It’s given us a purpose. I think there was a reason why Mark and I met, why those children were born to us and we became actors. We’re able to use our platform to raise awareness.” Laura, in Emmerdale since 2012, loves playing Kerry, who has been through plenty of drama, including a failed marriage to Kev Berry and a bigamous one to Dan Spencer. She was scheming Eric’s carer and became his wife on Christmas Eve in a plot to protect his inheritance cash. Laura says: “They care about each other immensely and they’re cut from the same cloth; they’re both secret scammers. There’s nothing romantic in it at all, but they genuinely love each other.” Kerry is also dating Jai Sharma, played by Chris Bisson. Laura says: “They’re in a weird throuple. I feel like I’ve won the lottery with this ­character. She’s caring, loyal, full of heart and with the best intentions in the world , but a bit damaged. “She’s funny, the life and soul of the party, she shoots from the hip and she makes really rash, crazy decisions that get her into trouble. I remember thinking I can do this standing on my head, because I know who this girl is.” Laura, who lives in North Yorkshire but was raised in Newcastle, landed her first TV job at 14 in the police drama series Badger. She studied performing arts at college and spent the next eight years as a jobbing actor. “I was living in Newcastle and I did a lot of theatre and a million different other jobs. I dressed up as different characters working in a department shop window, I worked in a cocktail bar, a piano bar and a restaurant and I was geeing people on for The Great North Run. I was doing anything I could, while trying to get acting jobs. “I look back at that time very fondly. My two best mates, who were actresses, had both made the move to London. I decided to join them, but I had to give up my flat and live with my mam and dad and save some money.” Laura’s career suffered knockbacks and a lull, and she felt she could no longer go on as an actor. “My dad said, ‘No, you can.’ So, I just cracked on and then, in 2012, Emmerdale came along. I was about to turn 30. It was an amazing part – I felt like all the stars aligned and I was where I was meant to be.” Mark, who has two adult children from his previous marriage, put his career on the backburner to look after their kids. “I’m very grateful. It meant that I could carry on at Emmerdale and I’ve felt safe knowing that the ­children are with him. He’s a phenomenal dad and I couldn’t be doing this job without him.” *Emmerdale airs 8pm weeknights on ITV1 or from 7am on ITVX