Former Coronation Street actor Adam Rickitt has opened up on his infertility heartbreak.
The soap star appeared on Loose Women alongside reporter wife Katy Rickitt - who viewers may recognise from Good Morning Britain.
Adam, 43, spoke to the show's panelists Kaye Adams, Linda Robson, Brenda Edwards and Janet Street-Porter about being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition which has affected his ability to have children.
The actor, who played Corrie's Nick Tilsley in the nineties before pursuing a music career, has Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a rare type of arthritis that causes pain and stiffness in the spine which can cause infertility.
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"It was that whole thing where you were worried about being slightly mocked, seen as being 'less manly' because of it," Adam told the panel when asked about telling his family and friends about his struggle.
He said he had always worried about his infertility, but only went on got tested when he and Katy got engaged.
"I had zero fertility which was scary because to say to someone, 'I’m not sure we’ll be able to have children' was really nerve-wracking," Adam said.
"The way I looked at it, if it was Katy who couldn’t have kids, I would still want to be with her.
"I was never worried about leaving her, I was just worried I’d be denying her something."
But Katy couldn't have been more supportive.
"I didn’t bat an eyelid, I meant that from the bottom of my heart," she said.
"If Adam can't have children, we can't have children - that's the way it is.
"It was like, 'Okay, so what do you want to do instead?' The only thing we wanted to do is things together."
The couple also said they decided not to go down the route of IVF.
"There are parts of life we’ll miss out on, but we’re not naive," Adam, who also starred in Hollyoaks, said. "We tried to experience things other people couldn’t… careers, I love acting, Katy loves presenting and journalism, we have a business together, we have the dogs, so we don’t feel like we’re lacking in giving our love to something else."
"We have the dogs, we have a business together," Katy also said.
"I married Adam and anything that came after that is a bonus… I love him and what happens thereafter, happens thereafter."
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