Hollyoaks star who is paralysed from the waist down WALKS down the aisle with only her father's arm for support in tear-jerking wedding video
- Kelly-Marie Stewart married James Lovelady in Cheshire on August 30
- She looped arms with her father for support walking down the aisle
- Was paralysed from waist down by Guillain-Barre Syndrome in 2005
- Has gradually built her strength enough to stand and walk with crutches
She was paralysed from the waist down at the age of 21 and thought she might never walk again.
But Kelly-Marie Stewart defied the odds when she got married last month at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, walking down the aisle without her crutches and relying only on her father's arm for support.
The 31-year-old newlywed and mother-of-one, who married James Lovelady, lost the use of her legs in 2005 after contracting rare disease of the nervous system, Guillain-Barre Syndrome. She went on to become the first disabled actress to play a main part in Hollyoaks.
Kelly-Marie Stewart (left) walked down the aisle with only her father's (right) arm for support on her big day despite being left paralysed ten years ago
Clutching her father's arm, the bride made her way down the aisle smiling and laughing as she caught the eye of loved ones in the congregation.
In a video produced by Capture Your Moments, she is also seen walking around with the support of her new husband, a company director she dated for four years, and even dancing on the spot.
Some patients with Gauillain-Barre Syndrome - a disease which causes the immune system to attack the spine and nervous system - recover some movement and feeling over time, as in the case of Kelly-Marie.
She went through months of gruelling neurological physiotherapy to build enough strength to walk down the aisle, and said she wasn't nervous about it beforehand.
The 31-year-old newlywed and mother-of-one, who married James Lovelady, lost the use of her legs in 2005 after contracting a rare disease of the nervous system called Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Linking arms with her father for support, the bride made her way down the aisle smiling and laughing all the way to the altar
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Kelly-Marie said: 'I got emotional walking with my dad. I wanted to surprise him as well as James.
'We only invited close friends and family, so everyone in that room were people who had thought I’d never get out of the wheelchair, they were the people who had been on that journey with me for the last ten years.'
For her big day - Kelly-Marie, who played Hayley Ramsey in the Chester-based soap until she fell pregnant in 2010 - wore a white tulle-enhanced gown with a jewel-encrusted bodice and a veil.
Her groom donned a grey morning suit with a white corsage.
Kelly-Marie, pictured kissing her husband at the altar, went through months of gruelling neurological physiotherapy to build enough strength to walk down the aisle
For her big day Kelly-Marie wore a white tulle-enhanced gown with a jewel-encrusted bodice and a veil
A representative for Capture Your Moments wrote: 'Kelly has overcome a very traumatic time in her life to become the wonderful women she is today and along with James, who is also a super person.
'I am sure their future will be one great long journey of happiness.'
Kelly-Marie was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome when she 21, after noticing pins and needles in her feet.
In 2009, she told the Daily Star: 'I went in to hospital for tests and two days later I was paralysed from the waist down. It happened so quickly, it was incredibly frightening.
Kelly-Marie, pictured at the British Soap Awards in 2010, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome when she was 21, which left her paralysed from the waist down. She has since built up enough strength to walk using crutches
Some patients with GBS, a disease which causes the immune system to attack the spine and nervous system, recover some movement and feeling over time - as in the case of Kelly-Marie, pictured in 2009
Kelly-Marie, who played Hayley Ramsey (left) in Hollyoaks until she fell pregnant in 2010, was the soap's first disabled lead character
'But I was lucky, some people are paralysed from the neck down. At least I still have the use of my upper body.'
At first Ms Stewart was wheelchair-bound but after years of strength building training, she moved to crutches.
In the run-up to her wedding, she prepared by using only one crutch to get around.
The blonde admits she was so overcome with emotion she 'sobbed' all day, but described the landmark celebration as 'perfect'.
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