Emmerdale’s Amy Walsh fights back tears as she reveals emotional moment terminally ill dad walked her down the aisle
EMMERDALE star Amy Walsh has told how she was walked down the aisle by her terminally-ill dad.
The soap actress married former EastEnders actor Toby-Alexander Smith, 32 at the picturesque Talici Hill Rustic Villas in Montenegro.
In an emotional moment, Amy’s dad – who is living with terminal cancer – walked her down the aisle.
Initially she was walked down to the bottom of the sweeping stone staircase at the mansion by her brother Adam, but her father John led the rest of the way.
Now both of the newlyweds opened up to what that moment meant to both of them.
Amy, 36, told OK! Magazine: “My dad isn’t very well and we weren’t sure until the 11th hour if he would be able to come.
“My brother handed me over to my dad, who walked me down the last bit. He knows he only has a certain amount of time left, so it was important for him to be there.
“It’s a cancer you can’t cure, but you can live with it and he’s doing well fighting it.”
The MasterChef contestant married Toby – who is best known for playing serial killer Gray Atkins in the BBC soap – who called the moment “poignant”.
He admitted: “Amy’s dad was very emotional – it was a very poignant moment for me.”
It was truly a family occasion for the star when sticking to wedding traditions.
Amy revealed that her bridesmaids used the ‘something old, new, borrowed and blue’, items to pay tribute to her cherished late relatives.
She revealed: “Sally gave me her garter from her wedding day and Kimberley gave me the ring she inherited from my grandma. She wears it every day and it epitomises my grandma.
“I wore it on my little finger so I had my grandma and grandad with me on the day, which was amazing.”
The couple, who have a one-year-old daughter called Bonnie, got engaged in Ibiza last year.
They met three years earlier while in the audience of Strictly Come Dancing and quickly moved in together ahead of the coronavirus pandemic.
The pair tied the knot at the exclusive 17th century location in a destination wedding, and Amy appreciates the effort her guests made to celebrate her big day.
She said: “It was honestly the most perfect day. It surpassed all my expectations and more.
“Our family and friends are really important to us and we wanted everyone to have the best time.
“They all made such an effort to come out there for us. Friends left their kids for the first time and spent their money getting there. We wanted it to be really special.”
Among the guests was Amy’s famous sister, Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh, who performed at the ceremony.
As did EastEnders star Shona McGarty, who duetted with TikTok sensation Sonny Tennet.
Some of her Emmerdale co-stars were also present at the star studded event which included Natalie Ann Jamieson, Olivia Bromley and Louisa Clein.