Emmerdale's Charlotte Bellamy, known for her role as Laurel Thomas since 2002, has had quite the on-screen journey with storylines featuring alcohol addiction, tragedy, and even a brush with death.
The beloved 51 year old actress has seen her character walk down the aisle more than once, most recently marrying Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) in the soap. Away from the drama of Emmerdale, Charlotte leads a much quieter life, keeping her romantic dealings under wraps.
Charlotte has been with her high school love, Mungo Dennison, since she was just 18. Dennison, who is a company director, has been her rock through thick and thin.
Despite their long-term relationship, the couple took their time to tie the knot, opting for an ultra-intimate wedding in 2012 that was so hush-hush not even their nearest and dearest were clued in.
It was only three years later that Charlotte spilled the beans to the Sunday Mirror about their impromptu nuptials, saying: "We didn't invite anyone or tell anyone, we just did it and it was perfect. We sat there at breakfast and said to the kids, 'We're getting married today' and they were like, 'What?!' It was hilarious."
The nuptials were notably understated, with just their mothers and three kids present as witnesses at their local registry office. Charlotte spurned the traditional bridal attire, donning a sixties-inspired striped cocktail dress featuring a large white bow on the front, which she confessed to buying for a mere £60 from a shop in trendy Notting Hill.
In an even more surprising twist, the soap actress borrowed her footwear from the Emmerdale wardrobe, admitting she didn't own any shoes that paired well with the dress. In her own words, "I borrowed a pair of Laurel's from work. I've never told anyone that so I hope I don't get in trouble."
Charlotte and Mungo got married on a random Thursday in May 2012 in what Charlotte describes as a stress free day.
Explaining why they opted for a low-key wedding, she shared: "We've been together since we were 18. We had talked about it at different times but then things happen and we kind of missed the boat. Suddenly it seemed like the right thing to do and we wanted to do it our way.
“For some people, a big wedding is the dream and of course, that's great but it wasn't really our style. We're quite unconventional. I texted my friends at the end of the day and just said, 'Me and Mungo got married' and they were stunned."
The couple share three children - Sunnie, Herbie, and Teddie. Interestingly, all three pregnancies coincided with Charlotte's time on Emmerdale.
The show's producers cleverly worked around her pregnancies. In 2004, while pregnant with Sunnie, she was temporarily written out of the show.
In 2006, during her second pregnancy, her character Laurel also fell pregnant, making for perfect timing. Many scenes featuring a heavily pregnant Laurel actually showcased Charlotte's real baby bump.
She continued filming until she was eight months pregnant before taking maternity leave, giving birth just three weeks after wrapping up filming.
In 2009, when she was pregnant with her daughter Teddie, the show's producers accommodated her pregnancy during filming. As she took maternity leave, her character Laurel was temporarily written out of the storyline.
Charlotte revealed that as her children have grown up, they haven't shown any interest in their mum's fame or acting career. However, they often get asked about it at school since many of their classmates watch Emmerdale.
