Mark Jordan and Laura Norton of Emmerdale, who are best known for their roles as Kerry Wyatt and Daz Spencer on the ITV soap opera, respectively, were moved to tears by their co-stars’ praise of them as “inspirations.”
Son Jesse, age 3, and daughter Ronnie, age 1, of Mark and Laura have been diagnosed with Usher syndrome, an uncommon and terminal genetic disorder that impairs hearing, vision, and occasionally balance.
After the news broke, Mark and Laura received a request to become Patrons from the organisation CUREUsher, whose goal is to increase public awareness of Usher syndrome and directly support research to help discover a solution.
Amy Walsh, who portrays Tracy Metcalfe on ITVBe’s Drama Queens, proposed a toast to the pair at the show’s season finale.
We wanted to express our gratitude to you both for your outstanding effort. Everyone seated around this table finds inspiration in you. But your two babies are the most important individuals to whom you are an inspiration,’ she remarked.
“We’re really proud of the work you’ve accomplished, we’ll be there for you at every turn, and we’ll do everything in our power to support you.”
“There are things that wouldn’t have happened if you two hadn’t been brave enough to stand up, own it publicly, dealing with your own emotions and still put yourself out there to try and help others,” said actress Roxy Shahidi, who portrayed Leyla Harding in the serial opera.
When Jesse failed hearing tests in 2021, Laura revealed it was when they first noticed anything was up. Laura and Mark made the announcement public in February of last year.
In an earlier Loose Women episode, Laura said, “My intuition told me there was a serious problem and I was in tears at the thought of it.”
However, until Laura became pregnant with their second child, they were unaware that it was Usher syndrome in particular.
Usher syndrome results in retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an eye condition that causes deafness or hearing loss. Occasionally, it also results in issues with equilibrium.
Although there is no known cure for Usher syndrome, there are therapies that can help manage visual, hearing, and balance issues. People with the disease are often diagnosed in their childhood or adolescence.
Laura and Mark co-ordinated a fundraiser named the “Cure Usher Charity Ball” to generate awareness and money for the study.
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