**Coronation Street **actor Simon Gregson and his wife Emma have undergone severe heartbreak in the past, having suffered 12 miscarriages, but now the pair have opened up about the time Emma almost died following an ectopic pregnancy.
Last September, Simon publicly thanked the NHS after his wife was 'hours away from death', and now the couple have opened up about the scary ordeal which was caused by an ectopic pregnancy.
Speaking to OK! Magazine, Simon, who plays Steve McDonald in the ITV soap, revealed details about the moment he was forced to rush his wife to hospital. He said, "They told me Emma would've died if it had been left for a few more hours. She was literally two hours away from death."
Emma also added, "I was petrified. I thought I was never going to see my sons ever again.
"As they were taking me down to theatre, I just kept thinking, 'I'm going to die. This is it. I'm not going to make it'. As they were prepping me for surgery, I had to keep signing lots of forms. I just felt devastated and so overwhelmed. It was the most frightening time I've ever had."
The NHS states an ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. The fallopian tubes are the tubes connecting the ovaries to the womb. If an egg gets stuck in them, it won't develop into a baby.
Back in September, Emma revealed that she was taken to hospital, and was just hours away from dying.
Taking to Instagram she wrote, 'I usually wouldn't do this but I was a couple of hours away from not being here to write this. Last night I was rushed into wythenshawe hospital. Long story short, I needed a scan desperately late last night and due to staff shortages no-one was on call. I owe my life to DR Arora who travelled to scan me at Midnight and preformed life saving surgery on me through the night. Our NHS is amazing!!!!! Everyone here does the work of 10 people on their own! Stop the cuts.... the NHS are the backbone of our country. Feeling very lucky today.' [sic]
Simon also thanked the hospital staff, tweeting the words, 'so three times the wonderful doctors of the NHS have saved my wife's life even when so over worked and at breaking point 🙏'. [sic]
Simon and Emma, who married in 2010, have three sons together, but in the past they've been through 12 heartbreaking miscarriages.
Despite admitting the couple would love a little girl to add to their family, Simon revealed the couple have decided not to have any more children, after Emma nearly lost her life.
He said, "I think as Emma has come so close to death, that’s it for us.
"We originally thought Emma couldn’t carry girls, but she so desperately wanted a little girl. I would love her to have one – but now, after nearly losing her, I’m going in and having the snip."
Despite his own heartbreak, Simon bravely took on a similar storyline with his on-screen wife in Coronation Street.
In the storyline, which aired in 2017, Steve and Michelle (Kym Marsh) lost their son at 23 weeks. After Kym lost her son Archie just moments after giving birth to him in 2009, the storyline was incredibly hard for both of them.
You can watch Simon play the role of Steve McDonald in Coronation Street on ITV.