'Love is there for absolutely everybody'

Emmerdale star James Moore - who has cerebral palsy and once thought he would never marry - and his wife Sophie Edwards chat to OK! about their big day

- LAUREN MORRIS

Just days after their dream wedding, Emmerdale star James Moore and his wife Sophie Edwards are still cherishing every moment of what has been an incredibly emotional weekend.

The actor, who plays Ryan Stocks on the ITV soap, tied the knot with special needs teacher Sophie in a “magical” ceremony at Cheltenham’s Manor By The Lake, surrounded by 100 friends, family and Emmerdale co-stars. A moment that James — who has cerebral palsy — feared would never happen for him.

“When James made his evening speech, he spoke about growing up with disability and how he thought he would never find love or a wife,” a tearful Sophie says. “That really tugged on everyone’s heartstrings because it just proves that love is there for absolutely everybody. It was one of my highlights of the day. His speech ruined me.”

The happy couple are chatting to OK! from their Gloucester home, basking in their newlywed glow. “It feels surreal,” says James, 32. “It was so busy and so intense, it’s nice to have a bit of time to ourselves.”

James and Sophie got married after five and half years together, having originally met on Bumble. “I joked in my speech at the wedding that we don’t tell people we met on a dating app,” James laughs. “We say we met through friends.”

Sophie, 27, adds, “I didn’t know that James was disabled until he mentioned it and I didn’t know he was on Emmerdale until he said. I had to Google “Ryan Stocks Emmerdale”. However, my mum is a big fan of the show and she was ecstatic.”

After proposing to Sophie during a city break to Manchester, James and his bride-to-be spent the next two years planning their ideal autumnal wedding — and the pair knew exactly what they wanted.

“My non-negotiable was having a bouncy castle,” Sophie says. “We wanted pumpkins. We knew we weren’t going to wear the traditional colours so my dress was blush and James’ suit was Dairy Milk purple.”