Ryan ‘Lucy and I have struggled'

Actor Ryan Thomas gets very real about the challenges of parenting a newborn

- Gemma McCartney

Like many new parents, Lucy Mecklenburgh and her fiancé, former Corrie actor Ryan Thomas, have had a lot to contend with over the past few months. As well as adapting to life with a newborn, they’ve also had to deal with the pressures of raising a baby during a nationwide lockdown.

And now Ryan, who is also dad to 11-year-old daughter Scarlett from his previous relationship with Tina O’Brien, has opened up on the obstacles they’ve faced since little Roman’s arrival back in March, in an Instagram Q&A for baby brand WaterWipes.

“The hardest thing for us was not having any help or support within the house,” revealed Ryan, 36, who earlier this year starred in ITV’s Absolutely India: Mancs In Mumbai with his brothers – twins Adam and Scott, 32.

“I wasn’t allowed to see my daughter, my brothers [because of the lockdown]. Those are the moments you want to share with the most important people in your life, that was taken away from you, so I found that a struggle.”

Ryan and Lucy, who have been together since love blossomed on Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls in 2017, have faced further obstacles as parents, as Roman suffered with a tongue-tie and a dairy intolerance, which meant Lucy had to change her diet while breastfeeding.