Emmerdale star Laura Norton has spoken about the return of her real-life partner, Mark Jordon, on the soap.
Jordan played Daz Spencer for an extended period on the ITV soap between 2017 and 2019 after making his debut in 2014, and reprised his role for a one-off appearance in December 2024 as his character’s daughter, Amelia, left the Dales.
Whilst Jordon and Daisy Campbell’s Amelia are no longer on the soap, Norton – who plays Kerry Wyatt – is very much still a fixture on the show, with the star recalling her experience of seeing Jordon – with whom she has been in a relationship since 2015 – reprise his role as Daz.
“It was amazing to all be back together,” she began. “I love working with Mark anyway, but to have our little family unit back together was so lovely and you just slip right back into how it was. We were like a family on and off set, and it was lovely having him around for a couple of weeks.”
The reunion on Emmerdale wasn’t the only occasion in recent months that Norton and Jordon had appeared together, with the couple also taking part in reality series Drama Queens. Despite being comfortable on the screen, Norton shared that the experience proved to be strange at first.
“Once upon a time, if you’d asked me if I’d have done that, I’d have said: ‘Not in a million years’,” she remarked. “But we just found ourselves in a position at the time when we were asked, that it seemed to be the right time and everything just fell into place
“When it started, I definitely had a bit of a guard up because you hold onto your emotions and it’s very different playing a character, compared to somebody seeing who you are in your day-to-day life and being vulnerable.
“But as the process went on and we got more comfortable with the crew and the people we were working with, it got easier and easier and my guard came down. I enjoyed the process as it went on.”
In addition to documenting elements of their personal lives, Norton and Jordon also used the experience to raise awareness for Usher Syndrome, a condition which their children – Ronnie and Jesse – were both diagnosed with.
“It was important that we were talking about the charity and the condition and raising awareness,” said Norton, who debuted as Kerry in 2012. “Doing that via that platform felt like the right thing at the right time.
“We found ourselves in this position and we’re trying to make the most positive thing come out of it that we can – that is raising awareness, which will hopefully raise donations and funds to find a treatment.
“It’s a rare genetic condition and hasn’t had the awareness that it deserved. That community hasn’t been spoken about in the way that it should have been. Hopefully with all of this, people are talking about it, people have heard about it and it can only be a good thing.”
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Whilst Norton recalled her reunion with Jordon and their time on Drama Queens, the actor also outlined her hopes for Kerry on Emmerdale, sharing that she was enjoying her character’s single life.
“I’m really enjoying the fact that she’s single and she’s just living her life as her at the moment,” she said. “She’s got a few jobs and doesn’t need a man to define her. She’s been through quite a few questionable relationships and she’s quite happy just bobbing along at the minute.”