'WE KNOW HOW LUCKY WE WERE FOR IVF TO WORK FIRST TIME'

EMMERDALE'S MICHELLE HARDWICK AND HER WIFE KATE BROOKS INTRODUCE US TO THEIR SON TEDDY AND TALK ABOUT SETTLING INTO THEIR NEW HOME

- TRICIA MARTIN

PRIDE AND JOY

Fans of Emmerdale have been enthralled by the roller-coaster love life of vet Vanessa Woodfield. But life is fortunately much happier for actress Michelle Hardwick and her wife - one of the ITV soap's producers, Kate Brooks.

The couple married in September 2019 at Elvis's Graceland mansion in Memphis and have now welcomed OK! into their new home to introduce us to their son Teddy, who was born in October 2020.

However, their experience of becoming a family of three was not an easy ride. They had to go through the stress and uncertainty of IVF treatment, followed by a health scare early in Michelle's pregnancy. And while friends, family and fans have celebrated their relationship, the couple have also been subjected to vicious abuse online.

"We've had a bit of trolling over the last few years," admits Michelle, 46, who has appeared in the soap since 2012. "And there have been certain times when police have had to be called because there have been death threats. And when they're mentioning your son's name and you're just going 'Really? I'm just in a soap you know – we're not doing any harm to anybody.'

"The root of it all is always because I'm gay, I'm a gay woman. And it's like, 'Lesbians shouldn't be on this Earth, just burn in hell and die'."

"It's all pretty horrific, isn't it?" says Kate, 39. "The majority of people are really wonderful and supportive, but, you know, as great as social media can be, there is this real dark side to it as well.

"We want our kids to be brought up with a healthy attitude to social media and for it to be a place where they can feel safe. At the minute we're not quite there yet, but I think we're making a lot of progress getting to that place."