James Bye, who plays Martin Fowler in EastEnders, has revealed how his recent vow renewal went down... and it sounds just as dramatic as an episode from the soap.
The star went to sunny St Lucia with his wife Victoria and their kids for an intimate ceremony in front of 35 guests, but there was quite a turbulent journey to the altar.
Injury, illness, and biblical weather all hit the family in the run up to the day, but despite the odds everything turned out perfectly in the end.
Related: EastEnders star James Bye's wife Victoria pregnant with fourth child
James explained the first shock, explaining to OK!: “I was relaxed in the lead up to it, but then I chipped a tooth a couple of days before. I was showing off to my kids.
“It said on the slide ‘Do not go down head first’ and my eldest son is quite conscientious and he was like, ‘Dad, don’t do it.’ I was like, ‘Trust me, I’ll be fine,’ and I smashed my head on the slide and chipped my tooth.”
Victoria chipped in (if you'll pardon the pun): “Everybody was gathered around him and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness’. But luckily James’s mum had a nail file and said, ‘I’m sure you can file it down with this’
“I managed to get rid of the worst of the damage and make it look presentable, but we’ll be heading to the dentist soon.”
In the next unfortunate event, their son Hugo became ill: “Hugo said he had a tummy ache and the next thing we knew, we had projectile vomiting galore. Luckily, he started to get better before the wedding.”
Related: EastEnders star James Bye speaks out after Strictly Come Dancing exit
As if this weren't enough, the weather took a turn. James described: “When we got married originally, it was in April and we were expecting a gorgeous spring wedding, but there was a snowstorm. Unbelievably, we woke up in St Lucia on the morning of the vows to a monsoon.
“It was the biggest downpour of rain I’ve ever seen. I was like, ‘You can’t write it.’"
Thankfully, it seems the family passed the trial they were faced with, with Victoria explaining: “We looked out the window and laughed, but then a beautiful rainbow appeared.
"It was like a scene out of a Disney movie because it went right into the middle of the altar. But then the clouds seemed to disappear and the rest of the day was gorgeous.”
Definitely a family story to be retold over the years!
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Request video message from past EastEnders stars
One of Them: From Albert Square to Parliament Square by Michael Cashman
BBC EastEnders: Christmas Specials collection
