Emmerdale stars Laura Norton and Mark Jordon are on a mission to raise awareness of Usher Syndrome, and have praised an EastEnders storyline which helped to do just that.
The actors stopped to chat with Metro.co.uk at their second annual Cure Usher Ball – an event that has previously had huge success in raising awareness and funds for the charity Cure Usher, a cause that is very close to their hearts.
In 2023, Mark and Laura revealed that their two children, Jesse and Ronnie, had been diagnosed with Usher Syndrome, which is a rare, incurable genetic condition that causes loss of hearing and vision and, in some cases, affects balance.
Earlier this year, an EastEnders storyline saw Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell) be diagnosed with Usher Syndrome after starting to lose her vision.
The storyline helped to bring Usher Syndrome into the headlines and educate viewers on the condition – something that was very important to Laura and Mark.
‘It meant the world,’ Laura told us, ‘Nobody does it like a soap.
‘It was viewed by millions of people every night for that period of time. People were talking about Usher Syndrome. It was incredible.’
‘It’s the fact that it was across the spreads the next day,’ Mark added, ‘Everybody wanted to explain what Usher was, to justify what the story was, and that helped us tremendously because that’s what we’re after. We’re after raising awareness.
‘That was the start of many things to come,’ he promised.
Laura and Mark were joined by a whole host of their family, friends and Emmerdale co-stars at this year’s Cure Usher Ball, and the support meant a lot to them both.
More Trending
Also in attendance were Cure Usher founder Jo Milne and chair Steve White, who were equally as thrilled about the BBC soap bringing awareness to Usher Syndrome.
Follow Metro Soaps on WhatsApp and get all the latest spoilers first!
Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who’s leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale?
Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews.
Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers!
‘That’s what it is, the lack of awareness,’ Jo told us. ‘Everybody that you speak to about Usher Syndrome, they generally have not heard of the condition. And it’s not about putting blame on anybody, it’s just that nobody generally knows what it is. And yet there’s 11,000 people in the UK living with the condition.
‘So, something like this is injecting that high level of awareness which is obviously going to improve lives. It’s going to make a difference.
Deals of the Day
Save £300 on the 'Ferrari of lawn mowers' that gardeners are calling 'unbelievable'
Mango’s tote bag looks far more premium than it’s £22 price tag
'Extremely good' Morrisons wines under £13 you need to try this summer
‘Like sleeping on a cloud’ hail shoppers as £12 mattress protector scores glowing reviews
Our Place launches unmissable Spring sale and it’s prime time to upgrade your kitchenware
‘That’s one of the most frustrating things about the condition. Sometimes you’ll meet somebody, maybe in the healthcare system for example, and find that they haven’t heard of the condition, which shows that more needs to be done about it.’
