Emmerdale’s Fiona Wade opens up on being walked down the aisle by her mum after losing dad to cancer — EXCLUSIVE

Fiona Wade has opened up on the emotional moment her mum walked her down the aisle at her stunning wedding.

The Emmerdale star, 40, married her actor husband Simon Cotton, 35, last month and invited OK! magazine along to the celebrations.

Fiona made her final approach to Simon on the arm of her mum Tessie. The moment was particularly poignant for the actress as the 'daddy’s girl' lost her father Colin to oesophageal cancer 14 years ago, and now works closely with the Oesophageal Patients Association.

She told us: "I was so emotional. When I was getting ready, me, my mum and best friend Kirsty had a bit of a cry.

"You always dream of that moment and you hope your dad is going to walk you down the aisle, and in the months approaching the wedding I was more emotional about my dad.

"I’ve had my moments thinking about that and crying, but I was with my mum and it was really special.

"I’m very spiritual and I believe my dad is around me and I really felt him there that day. I think he was giving me a lot of strength."

Fiona, who plays Priya Sharma on the hit ITV soap, and Simon tied the knot in front of close friends, fellow soap stars and family in a gorgeous ceremony after spending six weeks apart before their big day.

The "old-fashioned" couple have plenty to look forward to, including moving in together, as one of the beliefs of Emmerdale star Fiona’s Bahá’í religion is that a couple shouldn’t live together until they’re married.

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Fiona said: "Simon is on tour until February so we’re still deciding where we’re going to live and then we’ll buy somewhere."

Her co-star Michelle Hardwick and her wife Kate Brooks, who recently tied the knot in Memphis, sweetly held hands as the couple said their vows and exchanged rings.

The happy couple then shared a long kiss before Simon excitedly fist pumped.

Soon, day turned into evening and more of the couple’s close friends arrived, including Matthew Wolfenden and Charley Webb, who had given their four-month-old son Ace his final feed at the hotel before heading to the party.

Even though the couple were enjoying a night off parenting duties, Matthew told OK! magazine: "We didn’t want to leave him, he’s so beautiful!"

And rain clearly didn’t stop play, as Fiona revealed that her Emmerdale cast mates were the life and soul of the party. "Everyone was on the dancefloor until 1.30am. The Emmerdale lot didn’t leave the dancefloor," she said.

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The newlyweds had planned to take a romantic rowing boat ride, but Fiona had second thoughts due to her extravagant dress and the freezing conditions. However, Simon went solo much to the delight of their guests.

The couple confirmed their romance in 2018 after meeting on the Emmerdale set in 2017 and Simon insists it was love at first sight.

"They say when you meet the person you’re meant to be with you know. I had started to give up on that ideal and then I met Fi. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen," he said.

Fiona added: "It took me longer than Simon. I don’t fall into relationships easily, but I wanted to be really sure.

"Everything with Simon is just so easy. He’s also amazing with my mum, which is really important."

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