Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins pregnant after lavish wedding amid 'tough' mood swings

Less than three months ago, newlywedsIsabel Hodgins and her husband Adam Whitehead told us, “Having a family is definitely our next step,” when we caught up with them following their fairy-tale wedding in Manchester. It was a stylish affair attended by Isabel’s Emmerdale co-stars Danny Miller, Mark Jordon, Laura Norton, Jeff Hordley and Zoë Henry.

And the happy couple, neither of whom can stop smiling as OK! sits down with themfor an exclusive chat, tell us they already have some very exciting news to share. Since the wedding, they have discovered they are expecting their first child. A glowing Isabel beams, “It’s something that we wanted to happen, but now it actually has, it’s weird... it’s still sinking in!”

As we ask the actress, who has played Victoria Sugden on the ITV soap since she was 12 years old, how she broke the joyous news to her husband, she laughs, “He actually told me!” It comes after Liam Neeson's son reacts to his dad's romance with Pamela Anderson.

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“Isabel was late by a few days, so she did a test. But then, she just threw it on the floor and it was upside down just lying there,” explains 28-year-old Adam before Isabel, 31, adds, “I didn’t want to look at it, as I felt it would make time go slower to stare. But Mr Impatient comes along to look at it and sees that it’s positive.

“But I thought, ‘Surely we can’t trust it because it’s been upside down, so it might have impacted the result.’ We rushed to Boots to buy three more, and they were all positive too, so we thought it must be right!” says Isabel, who is almost four months into her pregnancy journey now.

Adam, who works as a PE teacher, met Isabel in the gym, and the pair have been together for three years. And, though they were trying to start a family, the couple – who are on cloud nine having just had a look at their little one during a baby scan — admit it has all happened faster than they could have imagined.

“It’s exciting but also scary, because it has happened so fast and it’s our first time,” explains Isabel. “Originally, we booked a wedding for 2026, but then I realised I didn’t want to wait that long to start a family. But I also wanted to be married first, so I kept changing the goal posts, but this was always the plan!”

It’s not been the easiest first trimester for Isabel, who admits she’s feeling “pretty knackered”. “It’s hard to know how to feel because you’re so excited, but also, for me there’s been so much fatigue. So I’m like, ‘I’m so happy but please let me nap!’

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I think it has been tougher than I thought because it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster. But luckily, I haven’t been very sick, so that’s a plus,” she smiles. “I’ve been cooking the tea and helping out around the house as much as I can,” confirms Adam, as Isabel jumps in, “And dealing with my mood swings!” Adam laughs, “Yeah, that’s been tough.”

The couple are already hard at work designing their little one’s nursery, and are sticking to a neutral colour scheme as they have decided not to find out the baby’s gender until giving birth. “Adam is going to believe for nine months that it’s a boy,” jokes Isabel, who says she’d be happy with a boy or girl, but can also picture herself with a son. And when it comes to choosing that all-important name, Isabel and Adam joke that they’re going to leave that decision down to their baby.

“We’ve been struggling with names, especially girls’ names. We think of one and then we’re like, ‘No, our child wouldn’t suit that,’ and start overthinking it,” says Adam. “I was talking to someone and they had three names for a boy and they asked the baby the names — on a particular name the baby smiled and they were like, ‘There you go, he named himself!’” laughs Isabel.

While Adam and Isabel only met a few years ago, their story actually goes way back to when they were both newborns. After beginning their relationship, the couple discovered, incredibly, that they were actually born in the same hospital and even went to the same school — but due to their three-year age gap, they didn’t know one another.

Sadly, their baby won’t be born in the same hospital they were, as Isabel says it no longer has a maternity ward, but she confirms that the pregnancy does feel like a “full circle” moment. “It’s a weird story to tell people, the fact that we went to all these places and never knew each other until further down the line. It’s something nice to tell the kids,” smiles Isabel.

Isabel and Adam admit that their nearest and dearest weren’t shocked at their exciting news. “My mum just cried straight away, my parents both got emotional and gave me a hug,” says Adam. Isabel nods, saying, “Yeah, my parents were really cute, too. It wasn’t a surprise because everyone knew we wanted kids, so it was more about when it would happen.”

Clearly over the moon to become parents, Adam believes his other half was born to be a mum. “You’re just a natural with kids,” he tells her. “You just seem to gravitate to them and you want to mother them — even when they’re not yours!”

“For me, I knew I wanted kids at some point but it wasn’t until I met Isabel that I knew it would happen soon. Because I’m a teacher, I’m quite used to being around them and so I think it’ll come quite naturally. Well, I’m hoping one baby is easier than 750 teenagers!” he laughs.

While they may not be worrying too much about their parenting abilities, losing their current routine is something Adam and Isabel confess that they’re feeling a little nervous about. The couple are big gym-lovers and they’re both focused on their careers, so becoming mum and dad will be quite a change of pace for them.

Taking a step back from Emmerdale for maternity leave, though, is something Isabel is prepared for, albeit with mixed feelings. “I will miss it. I love the people there, but I’ve worked there for 19 years, so I feel like I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do and been selfish with my career. Now, it’s time to devote my life to being a mum, that feels right to me. But there’s still FaceTime, so they won’t forget me!”

So, what are the couple looking forward to most in this exciting new chapter? “I think, seeing what we’ve created and meeting this little person,” says Isabel. “Creating them into hopefully a respectable little person,” Adam says, as Isabel adds, “Fingers crossed!”

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