Mrs Brown's Boys' Scots star Gary Hollywood welcomes 'rainbow baby' with wife Cherylanne

Although they only welcomed their second bundle of joy four weeks ago, the idea of expanding their family even further isn’t entirely off the cards for Scottish actor Gary Hollywood and his wife Cherylanne. And with a speedy labour that lasted just 20 minutes, we can certainly see why.

Four years on from the arrival of their adorable son Ollie, Cherylanne, 35, and 45-year-old Gary, who starred as Dino Doyle in Mrs Brown’s Boys, are thrilled to exclusively introduce baby Carter John Hollywood to the world. The couple, who tied the knot five years ago and now live in Glasgow, sadly miscarried their second child last year, discovering the news at their 12-week scan.

But Gary describes Carter, who was born on 11 October at 8pm, weighing 7lb 4oz, as their “rainbow”. “When we found out we were pregnant again, it just felt like all our dreams came true,” he smiles.

Going through a heartbreaking experience like theirs would be a difficult hurdle for anyone to cross – but with the support of one another, Cherylanne and Gary (who is also dad to three sons from a previous relationship) can clearly tackle anything in life.

“I found out we were expecting in February, the weekend after my birthday. Most people want a handbag or something like that as a present; I just wanted a baby,” Cherylanne explains.

Carter’s arrival, the couple tell our sister title OK!, was one filled with happiness, love and joy, and the newborn has already settled contentedly into their lives. Here, Gary and Cherylanne open the door to their Glasgow home and their blissful baby bubble…

Congratulations! You must be so excited…

Gary: We really are. It feels like we’re running on adrenaline at the moment, though.

Cherylanne: I agree! I haven’t felt tired since I got back from hospital, even during the night feeds. Carter has been great with his sleep and we’ve been doing alternate nights so it gives us a little bit of structure. I’ll never forget Ollie meeting him in hospital, though – he wanted to hold his baby brother right away.

How did you feel when you found out that you were expecting again?

Cherylanne: It was a mixture of nerves and excitement. After I miscarried, I said that we wouldn’t do it again, but that was just the process of healing. When we saw that positive test in February, we didn’t want to get too excited, especially in the early days. It was a strange feeling and because we were so apprehensive about what could happen, we didn’t actually talk about it to each other. We went out for dinner one night and I just broke down crying – and then Gary did too.

Gary: It turned out that both of us had been feeling the same way, but didn’t want to talk about the worries in case it took away from the excitement.

When did you let friends and family know?

Gary: We didn’t tell them until we were past the 12-week mark.

Cherylanne: It [a miscarriage] never leaves you and a lot of people knew that I was pregnant last year. This time around, we wanted to keep it as our little secret.

Gary: Everyone was so supportive and happy when we told them, though. I just wanted to be there for Cherylanne. I think, for guys, it’s different, you know? We don’t carry the baby, we don’t have that same attachment, so I can’t even begin to know what Cherylanne must have been feeling.

And what about Ollie? Was he excited about becoming a big brother?

Gary: He just kept asking when the baby was coming. I think he got fed up after a while.

Cherylanne: At one point, he started telling people that I was having twins! I have no idea why. It was exciting watching Ollie go through his own little journey and taking in all the information.

How was the birth? Did everything go as you had planned?

Cherylanne: I had a birth plan in place because Ollie’s was quite traumatic. I only had gas and air that time, so this time I was adamant I was having an epidural. I was pretty naïve about Ollie’s birth and didn’t really research anything. For Carter, I decided I wanted a natural birth again but asked for all the pain relief possible [laughs]. Even my birth notes had “early epidural” in capital letters. In the lead-up to the labour, I had some back pain but didn’t think anything of it. I got the car valeted, did the nursery run with Ollie, everything. But when it got to 6pm, I told Gary it felt like contractions and they were getting worse. I didn’t want to go to the hospital for them to send me home because I wasn’t far enough along, but at 7.15pm, it was too much. I headed in to get assessed and it turns out I was 7cm dilated.

Gary: The nurse turned to me and said, “She’s too late for an epidural.” I said to just go with it and not mention it, because I knew it’d stress Cherylanne out even more.

Cherylanne: So we got to the delivery suite at 7.30pm and things happened pretty quickly from there.

Was it a quick labour, then?

Gary: Let’s just say an episode of Coronation Street lasts longer.

Cherylanne: I went to the bathroom and my water broke, so at 7.40pm, I started pushing. Gary ran out to get something from the car and when he walked back in, Carter was crowning. The labour lasted 20 minutes in total, and I had no epidural, no gas and air, nothing.

Gary: But you did get tea and toast after [laughs].

Cherylanne: I did! And I was out by lunchtime the following day. It was the most amazing experience. I’d do it all over again.

Were there any tears in the delivery room?

Gary: I cry at anything – X Factor auditions, the John Lewis Christmas advert, you name it. It’s just such a proud moment, though. I cried at all my children’s births and because this was a rainbow baby, it made it even more special.

Cherylanne: I just couldn’t wait to get home and start our life as a family of four.

Did you find out the sex beforehand? When we caught up last, Ollie was hoping for a sister…

Cherylanne: We did. Gary and I were just hoping for a happy, healthy, beautiful baby… Ollie, on the other hand, wasn’t too happy [laughs]. I took him to the gender scan with me and Gary was running late so it was just the two of us. I remember lying on the bed and the nurse said to me, “You’re having a boy,” and Ollie burst out crying and said, “You should have eaten more pink food, this is your fault!” Thankfully, he calmed down when we made a teddy bear with the baby’s heartbeat.

Gary: Ollie said babies are boring and all they do is sleep, drink milk and poo [laughs]. I think he thought that Carter would be coming out as a playmate straight away.

How did you decide on his beautiful name?

Gary: We went through the alphabet with Ollie, and when we got to “C”, he said “Carter”. We liked it right away – well, not Ollie’s full version which was “Carter Barter” [laughs]. And we decided on John for his middle name, which was after my dad who sadly passed away, as well as Cherylanne’s papa’s middle name.

Gary, does being a dad at 45 feel different to when you were in your twenties?

Gary: I think I enjoy it more now. In my twenties, I was chasing my career and money and not really cherishing the moment. I missed out on a lot. Now, with Carter and Ollie being born and leaving Mrs Brown’s Boys, I get to enjoy every minute and cherish those moments.

Speaking of Mrs Brown’s Boys, is that door closed now?

Gary: It’s firmly in the past. I’m grateful for the good memories and enjoyed it while it lasted, but I’ve moved on. It was 20 years of my life and a huge chapter of it, so I just take the good memories with the not-so-good ones.

What do you make about the recent controversy surrounding the show [ Brendan O’Carroll, who plays Mrs Brown, is said to have implied a racial slur during a rehearsal ]?

Gary: Let’s just say I’m staying in my own lane when it comes to that one. I’m too busy enjoying life with Ollie, Carter and Cherylanne. I’ve also got a lovely Scottish fairy tale film called Faithful coming out too.

What advice would you give to others who have gone through a miscarriage?

Gary: Talk and be there for one another. Cherylanne is such a genuine person and a good friend, we’d be lost without each other. I found a charity called Baby Loss Retreat and they really helped me. As a guy, you feel so helpless because it’s not your body, but you need to be a shoulder to cry on.

Cherylanne: Myleene Klass’s documentary, Myleene: Miscarriage And Me, made us feel less alone. I watched it the night after I miscarried last year and also after we brought Carter home. I still felt the same way; going through something like that never leaves you. But it just shows you how important shows like that and charities are – they open up conversations.

It sounds like you’re the best support system for one another...

Cherylanne: We call one another our “battery charger”. Whenever we’re feeling low or need someone, we’re always there for each other and always have been.

For support after pregnancy loss, contact Tommy’s, the pregnancy and baby LOSS charity on 0800 0147 800 or visit tommys.org

Shoot producer: Will Perry, photographer: Rachel Joseph, stylist: Lorraine McCulloch, photographer’s assistant: Michael Vicentie, videographer: David Talbot, hair: Pamela Docherty, make-up: Kirsty Martin, agency: Victoria Halliday Consultancy, beauty: Linda Rainey for Fake Bake, baby products: Ishga Organic Skincare

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