difficult decision
Drama Queens’ Laura Norton breaks down in tears discussing intense mum guilt as she returns to work on Emmerdale
Both of Laura's children suffer from a life-altering condition
ACTRESS Laura Norton broke down in tears as she prepared to return to work on Emmerdale after an 18 month maternity leave.
The Kerry Wyatt actress found herself getting emotional as she feared not being with her children as she geared up to head back to her day job.
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Laura's tears flowed as the cameras rolled for ITVBe's new reality show Drama Queens following the day-to-day lives of nine of the UK's biggest female soap stars.
The 40-year-old shares her two children, son Jesse and daughter Ronnie, with her partner and co-star Mark Jordan, who formerly played Daz Spencer on the programme.
Both of Laura's children suffer from Usher syndrome, a rare disease that affects hearing and vision.
She admitted that making the decision to return to Emmerdale was even more "difficult" given her tough home circumstances.
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During a FaceTime conversation with co-star Roxy Shahidi, she was left tearful as she became overwhelmed at the thought of being away from her children.
Laura said: "Sometimes I think I'm ready for this and it'll be really good for them, they need me to be off doing things.
"On the flip side, I just want to be near them all the time and able to access them whenever I want to."
Her voice broke as she became tearful and said: "The level of protection you feel when they are not with you...," before she took a moment to compose herself.
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Reflecting on Laura's youngest daughter, Roxy said: "She's going to be okay, it'll be hard for her at first and it'll be really hard for you but she will get used to it and that will make her braver."
Later on, the star was at home getting her children ready for bed just days before making the jump to head back to work.
She became tearful once again as she discussed her children's diagnosis and her heartbreak at discovering that her then unborn daughter Ronnie would also suffer from the condition just weeks after she was told that Jesse had it too.
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Laura admitted she felt it was "important" she headed back to work in order to return to a sense of normality as well as to show her children it is important to work no matter what.
She shared her concern about juggling long filming days with the doctors appointments of her two young children.
The star said: "I have to go to work and its important and I love my job but i just need to know to be on it for their health and where appointments are concerned.
"It's finding time for all that as well."
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Later, Laura admitted she had "found her purpose" in life by using her celebrity status to bring awareness to the condition as she discussed the hardships of the past few years with Mark.
Usher Syndrome comes in three types, depending on the severity of the disease and how soon hearing and sight is lost.
It often causes both vision and hearing loss in sufferers of the disease.
There is currently no cure for it.
Who is on the cast of ITV's Drama Queen
Drama Queens is a new ITVBe reality show that follows the lives of nine soap women and their real lives away from the chaotic world of soap. Take a look at all the women on the cast...
- Ellie Leach - Played Faye Windass in Coronation Street between 2011 and 2023
- Lucy Fallon - Currently plays Bethany Platt in Coronation Street
- Brooke Vincent - Played Sophie Webster in Coronation Street between 2004 and 2019
- Laura Norton - Currently plays Kerry Wyatt in Emmerdale
- Roxy Shahidi - Currently plays Leyla Harding in Emmerdale
- Amy Walsh - Currently plays Tracy Robinson in Emmerdale
- Rita Simons - Played Roxy Mitchell in EastEnders between 2007 and 2017 and currently plays Marie Fielding in Hollyoaks
- Jamelia - Currently plays Sharon Bailey in Hollyoaks
- Jorgie Porter - Currently plays Theresa McQueen in Hollyoaks
Laura has been committed to raising awareness of the condition and previously told she admitted the situation made her cry, saying: "My intuition told me there was a serious problem and I was in tears at the thought of it.
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"Knowing that we'd passed this on to our son was heartbreaking.
"To watch our little boy enjoy the world around him yet know so much will be taken from him, was painful."
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