Kelvin Fletcher’s wife Liz has revealed she had a 5am hospital dash before giving birth to twin boys.
The actress and voiceover artist, who married the former Emmerdale star in 2015, said she had feared Kelvin might not make it to her bedside in time for the birth.
The couple welcomed Maximus Crowther and Mateusz Kelvin in May, and already share daughter Marnie and son Milo.
Liz told Hello! magazine: “I woke up in the morning and my waters had broken.
“I rang the hospital and they said to come in. Kelvin had to stay with the kids, so I drove myself to the hospital, which is an hour away, at 5am.
“I was a bit panicky that Kelvin might miss the birth if it happened straight away. They did a scan and told me, ‘It’s going to be today’.”
Recalling the moment they introduced the babies to their older siblings, Liz said: “Milo was like: ‘He’s heavy.’ Marnie was kissing them. It was so cute.”
Kelvin added: “Even though Milo is only three, he knew instinctively to be really gentle with them. They’ve become more grown up overnight. Marnie has been a great little helper.”
Liz said: “The first week was just crazy – it was like a circus act when they’re spinning plates… I couldn’t physically pick up two babies at once, but now I can do it with two fingers!”
Kelvin added: “It feels like it’s always been like this.”
Speaking about their 120-acre farm in the Peak District, he said: “Without a doubt, we want the children to grow up with this lifestyle.”
Fletcher rose to fame playing Andy Sugden on ITV soap Emmerdale between 1996 and 2016.
He won the 2019 series of Strictly Come Dancing alongside professional partner Oti Mabuse after being a last-minute replacement for an injured Jamie Laing.
Earlier this year, the Fletcher family were seen on screens in BBC programme Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure.
The six-part series, filmed over the summer last year, saw the family “decamp to the countryside” as they built a new life on a farm.