Hollyoaks' Kieron Richardson renews wedding vows with famous husband in tears

A decade after tying the knot, Kieron Richardson and Carl Hyland walked down the aisle again, this time, with their children present. The Hollyoaks star, 39, who has played Ste Hay since 2006, married businessman and part-time singer Carl, 42, in 2015 in the Peak District, supported by 12 bridesmaids dressed in wedding gowns.

They are now dads to eight-year-old twins Phoebe and Chase, who were born via surrogate, and marked the anniversary with the Richardson-Hyland wedding Part 2 at The Bold Octopus in Almancil, Portugal. Now back home, we sit down for an exclusive chat with the couple about their plans for the next 10 years…

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Congratulations! Tell us why you wanted another celebration – the first was quite the spectacle...

Kieron: We went so big! People still talk about the bridesmaids in wedding dresses. When the kids see the photos, they can’t quite understand why they weren’t there. They said it so often we realised we’d have to re-do it at some point.

Carl: At our ages, you see friends ending marriages rather than starting them, so reaching 10 years is a massive achievement and we wanted to mark it. We’ve actually been together for 21 years. It’s crazy.

How did you first meet?

Carl: In Essential nightclub in Manchester, many moons ago. Kieron walked down the stairs while I was DJ-ing and we caught each other’s eye. Then he got somebody to ask for my number to see if I could DJ at his birthday party!

Kieron: His teeth were identical to David Beckham’s. I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s David Beckham flirting with me in a gay nightclub, what’s going on?!’

So there was an instant connection?!

Kieron: After getting the courage to talk to Carl, it was love at first sight. As someone hiding my sexuality at the time and exploring my feelings, that was the exact moment I knew I was gay, and that Carl was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Presumably there’s been a few lows as well as the highs?

Kieron: Of course, we have differences of opinion, but that’s healthy – it shows you’re passionate about something.

Carl: We’re polar opposites in some ways, but we have similar morals that have glued us together. We’ve always wanted to go in the same direction at the same point, for example, having children. It’s a hard route to go down as a gay couple, but we’re a team.

It must have been incredible becoming parents…

Kieron: Not too long ago it was almost unachievable and unbelievable that we’d be able to be parents. I remember a TV interview with the first gay couple to become parents via surrogate in the UK, Barrie and Tony Drewitt-Barlow. Watching that as a kid I was like, ‘That’s amazing. Maybe it is a possibility?’ But I thought it wouldn’t happen for us, maybe it’d be too expensive or difficult.

Carl: Yeah, it was hard to think, “I’m never going to be a dad.”

Kieron: It hasn’t all been plain-sailing, we’ve had some negative reactions, but now we’re just like any other family. The kids have enhanced our life. They have two daddies and they couldn’t be more loved.

Were there any hiccups on the big day?

Carl: Yes, a dress drama! We wanted to incorporate the original wedding dresses so we asked the person who made them to make Phoebe’s dress, but it didn’t fit.

Kieron: I was yelling, “Cut it open with a Stanley knife!” and saying to Sandra, Carl’s mum, “Get the needle and thread, this is an emergency!” The dress was hacked apart, but we found a seamstress at the eleventh hour, so it was salvaged.

Any other nods to the first wedding?

Kieron: Our original song was the orchestral version of Coldplay’s A Sky Full Of Stars . This time, we had the Taron Egerton version from Sing 2 ! It’s the kids’ favourite.

Did you repeat your vows, too?

Carl: Not really. We had one of our best friends officiating, and we told our story.

Kieron: We didn’t want it to be too soppy – it wasn’t like we’d broken our original vows! It was purely for the kids.

Carl: My friends joke that I cry at anything, there were definitely tearjerker moments. What we didn’t have the first time was a chance to savour the moment. We had 300 guests and spent the night saying “hello” to everyone. This time, we took in where we were, who we were with. It was special.

There were 120 people to say “hi” to…

Kieron: Actually, we thought more people would RSVP “no” because it was abroad!

Carl: It was just beautiful to see everyone, our kids playing with friends’ kids, some
of whom have been through the surrogate and IVF process, too.

Kieron, lots of your Hollyoaks family were there again, too...

Yes, I have a long history with some of them, like Kirsty-Leigh Porter, and Jennifer Metcalfe and Jorgie Porter, who were bridesmaids at the first wedding. They’re not just castmates, they’re genuine friends. I was gutted a few couldn’t make it, like Nick Pickard and Ashley Taylor Dawson.

So, would you consider more children?

Kieron: We tried for another child via surrogate in 2022, but it was unsuccessful and that was our last attempt. Phoebe and Chase asked if they could have a dog, so now we have Rosie the Shih-Poo and our family is complete.

Can you sum up what you mean to each other?

Kieron: Some might think a vow renewal’s a waste of money, but I’d marry Carl every single day if I could. I can’t imagine doing life without him.

Carl: I’m going to start crying! Kieron means the world to me. We’re not necessarily a PDA kind of couple but we know what we mean to each other. I’ve never been as happy in my little bubble, and I want that bubble to continue for as long as it possibly can.

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