06 June 2023 , 18:00
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In 2010 Kieron Richardson revealed he is gay during an appearance on This Morning. He was just 20 years old at the time and while most of his friends and family already knew about his sexuality, he hadn't felt the need to speak about it publicly.
The Hollyoaks actor from Manchester told the show's hosts that it wasn't until his character was placed in a gay relationship that he decided it was finally time to share his story.
Appearing on the ITV programme, he explained that he wanted to help other young people by being honest and had been inspired by X Factor winner Joe McElderry, who came out the same year.
He said: "I am gay in real life and at 20 years old I kind of accepted it myself and now I can finally relate to my character Ste that he is 20 and he's going through things that I went through in my past.
"I feel that it's relevant and the storyline's relevant to some situations in my life then if maybe I can help people that are going through the same thing then it's a bonus."
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Kieron and Carl dated for seven years before getting engaged (Manchester Evening News)
Kieron, pictured with Carl, was inspired to come out in 2010 by Joe McElderry (WireImage)He continued: "There were one or two people, if somebody is gay they can maybe sense it and they might have said one or two comments. That can hurt if you're like 14 or 15 in school. Now I feel I'm a lot stronger, I'm older and nothing can hurt me any more.
"People who are going through this can see I am a young lad and I can say it. It's not wrong. You shouldn't be ashamed of it. We don't live in the dark ages any more, we live in the 21st century and everyone should be happy and love themselves."
Since then the soap star, who is known for his role as Ste Hay, has married his long-term boyfriend Carl Hyland.
The pair got engaged in July 2014 after seven years of dating.
"I just got engaged. It's really exciting," he told The Mirror at the time.
"We've been together for over seven years so it's not a shock."
The pair went on to tie the knot in a lavish ceremony in the Peak District in 2015.
They were pictured along with a string of 12 bridesmaids in wedding dresses outside the Buxton Dome.
The group included Stephanie Davis, Jennifer Metcalfe, Jorgie Porter, Jazmine Franks, Gemma Merna, and Bronagh Waugh, as well as Kieron's pal from Dancing on Ice, Emily Atack.
Fellow Hollyoaks stars Fabrizio Santino, Anna Passey, and Stephanie Waring were also at the wedding.
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As well as the glamorous outfits, the couple's big day also featured a catwalk show and a performance from The Drifters.
Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday before the wedding, Kieron said: "We want to do what everyone has been doing all these years – because finally we're allowed to say those vows.
"But that really is the only traditional thing we are doing. I've had this image in my head of how I want it to be."
The pair welcomed twins in 2017 via surrogate (Instagram)In 2016 the happy couple announced they were expecting twins via a surrogate, sharing their news in a festive video on Instagram.
"Merry Christmas to us thanks for the British Surrogacy Centre," Kieron, 37, wrote online.
However, their joy came after some heartache, as the couple had experienced four previous failed IVF attempts at starting a family, but refused to give up.
The pair are now parents to Chase and Phoebe and Kieron has spoken to The Mirror about how "magical and amazing" being a dad is.
But he admits that it's tricky having twins and he's struggled with "parent guilt".
"It goes so quick and no one can prepare you for all the cliche things, like it's so tiring but magical and amazing.
"The thing I struggle with most is parent guilt, because there's two of them and they're only little, I always want them in my arms.
"For safety, you can only hold one of them. You can't really have one in each arm, your arms start to hurt as well, so there's always one in the Ccoonababy or the Moses basket.
"So I'll be like,'I've had 5 minutes with you' and then have to swap babies. I always feel guilty."
Despite the guilt, Kieron quickly became broody for more kids.
He added to The Mirror in 2017: "I want more already.
"I feel like, because we've literally been thrown in the deep end with two, having one would be like a walk in the park.
"I know it's not, but because we've started with two now it's easier."
They had four failed attempts at IVF before Chase and Phoebe were born (Instagram)The family lives in a luxury home in Manchester, close to the Hollyoaks set and Kieron regularly gives fans an insight into their life there.
The property is kitted out with plush white carpets, cream sofas and had an all-white nursery for the kids when they were born.
As well as this, there are landscaped gardens, featuring a raised patio with a glass partition and a stunning open-plan kitchen-diner.
The house is also filled with high-end wooden floors, Victorian mosaic tiles and a giant marble dining table.