EastEnders star Jo Joyner introduces her 'miracle' twins Freddie and Edie to the world

Proud mother: Jo Joyner, with a friend, dotes over her twins during an appearance on This Morning today


She struggled to fall pregnant for more than four years, so it's little wonder Jo Joyner is eager to show off her new twins.

The actress, who plays Tanya Branning in EastEnders, introduced three-month-old Freddie and Edie to the world today during an appearance on ITV's This Morning

The 31-year-old was on the programme to discuss IVF and spoke of her heartache after learning she may never have children.

'It was very scary when we were first told,' she admitted on the show. 'It was like our world had fallen apart around us.'

Jo and her husband, actor Neil Madden, turned to IVF after years of trying and eventually conceived through a technique called ICSI (intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection), which works by injecting a single sperm directly into an egg.

The couple were thrilled when her pregnancy test came back positive twelve days after two eggs were implanted.

The twins were born on December 7 by Caesarean section in a two-hour labour.


Cute as a button: Edie and Freddie were born on December 7 after Jo underwent IVF treatment

'We're very lucky. It's a miracle really,' she has said.

Jo said she decided to speak out after struggling to find positive stories of IVF.

'it is very private and we weren't talking out about it while we were going through it,' she said.

'When we first found out we were going to have IVF I was constantly searching through the press and the media. I could only find scientific stuff.

'I really wanted to hear positive news. I just really wanted someone to go, "It's all right. It doesn't mean you'll never have kids. It is possible."'


Taking it in her stride: Jo, who plays Tanya Branning in EastEnders, is enjoying her new role as a mother


She said learning her babies wouldn't be conceived naturally was difficult.

'It is very scary and it's quite sad,' she admitted. 'You kind of have a mourning period for the route you thought you might take.

'All the natural things you take for granted. So you just have to kind of go, all right, that's not our way.'

And had IVF not worked, Jo said she had already considered other options.

'We were also very clear we wanted a family, and not necessarily clones of ourselves. So adoption was an option.'


Baby bliss: Jo decided to speak out after struggling to find positive stories about IVF

Former No Angels actress Jo joined the cast of EastEnders in 2006 as the long-suffering wife of cheating Max Branning, played by Jake Wood.

In the show, Tanya is mother to daughters Abi and Lauren and son Oscar.

She was written out of the soap for her maternity leave late last year as viewers saw Tanya discover Max had hidden the family's severe financial problems from them.



source: dailymail