Emmerdale star Laura Norton's life changed forever when her adorable two children were diagnosed with a rare health condition14:36, 27 Jul 2026Emmerdale: Kerry Wyatt confronts Dr Todd about Jacob Love blossomed off-screen for Emmerdale star Laura Norton when she met her future partner while filming the long-running show.‌Since 2012, Laura, 43, has played Kerry Wyatt on the ITV soap and has been involved in some pretty shocking storylines, including the death of Frank Clayton (Michael Praed) after she accidentally caused a factory fire alongside her daughter Amy (Natalie Ann Jamieson).‌This wasn't the only time Kerry had been involved with arson, as she once hit rock bottom and burned down Andy Sugden's (Kelvin Fletcher) house.‌In February 2025, Kerry was left devastated when Amy died after a limousine crashed into a frozen lake, which also left Amy's son, Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn), who she shared with Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley), completely heartbroken.Kerry's most recent endeavors include marrying Eric Pollard (Chris Chittell) for convenience and a blossoming romance with factory boss, Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson).‌Who is Laura Norton engaged to?While Kerry's romantic life appears to be a rollercoaster in the Dales, in real life, Laura found love on the Emmerdale set with Mark Jordan, who played Daz Spencer sporadically between 2014 and 2024.Mark, 61, is also famed for playing PC Phil Bellamy in ITV's police drama Heartbeat between 1992 and 2007. The character also crossed over to medical drama The Royal for a short stint.The actor also starred in the original series of All Creatures Great and Small and appeared in other popular television shows, including Hollyoaks, Doctors, Coronation Street, Casualty, and, most recently, The Long Shadow.‌Reflecting on real-life romance with Mark, Laura previously opened up to Inside Soap and recalled meeting for the first time."Mark came in as Dan's brother Daz in 2014, initially for a short stint," she recalled. "We kept in touch as friends and grew closer – and we never looked back!‌"If you'd have said when we first met that in a few years we would be a couple and have a baby, I would've said 'excuse me?'", she added.Heartbreaking diagnosisLaura and Mark got engaged in late 2018, before welcoming a baby son named Jesse in January 2021. The couple later welcomed their daughter, Ronnie, into the world in 2022.In February 2023, Laura and Mark went public with the news that both of their children had been diagnosed with Usher Syndrome, the rare genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision.‌Speaking to Hello! Magazine in 2023, the couple decided to speak out about their children's diagnosis, as Mark shared: "We've agonised about doing this before we've even told our children about their condition... we're going to write them a letter to explain why we did this and show them when they're old enough to understand."He added: "But we would never forgive ourselves if we did nothing when we could be making changes that would help them and other children."The couple was first concerned about their son's health when he failed standard hearing tests after he was born, but they didn't learn that it was Usher Syndrome until they were expecting their second child, Ronnie.‌Usher syndrome causes deafness or hearing loss, and an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Sometimes, it also causes problems with balance.People with Usher syndrome tend to get diagnosed as children or teenagers, and while there is no cure for it, there are treatments to help manage vision, hearing, and balance problems.‌During ITV’s soap-star reality series Drama Queens, Laura and Mark talked about how the medical condition has affected their lives. "I have something that I’m carrying now that we never had before and life is not what it once was… It’s heartbreaking", Laura explained."The scary thing for us was the unknown, and does it stop them from doing things. There’s so much to think about," she said.To raise awareness and funds for research, Laura and Mark are proud patrons and trustees of the Cure Usher Syndrome Charity. They work together on a project called Cure Usher Charity Ball and also take part in fundraising events.Article continues belowMost recently, Mark organised a darlingwing walk, which saw other Emmerdale stars get involved, including Brad Riches, Lawrence Robb, and Matthew Wolfenden.For more information on Usher Syndrome, visit the official website: Cure Usher Syndrome. You can also follow the charity on Instagram.Emmerdale airs weekdays on ITV and ITVX