Tricia Penrose Happy to Leave Acting Behind to Become a Full-time Mom

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Life for Tricia Penrose has been anything but peaceful since the birth of her second child, Freddy Jay, in August. After experiencing complications during the birth of her first son, Jake, in 2003, Tricia and her husband Mark opted for an elective cesarean, but were met with quite a surprise when the baby showed signs of coming into the world a bit sooner than expected.

What began as a day of shopping quickly turned into a worrisome trip to the emergency room after Tricia, who felt "really sick and strange" at the time, fainted during her outing. Although her blood pressure was significantly high, which was soon accompanied with the beginnings of contractions, doctors were able to stop the labor and eventually sent Tricia home to rest. However, two weeks later Tricia was back in the hospital — this time planned — and ready to welcome the newest addition to the growing family.

Of seeing her son for the first time, Tricia — who admits to worrying how she would "love another human being as much as I love Jake" — recalls a magical moment between mother and son, and with "such an overwhelming feeling" brewing, the actress could do nothing more except pass the time "crying my eyes out." Equally enthralled with his new son, Mark could not ignore the intimate moment he witnessed in the delivery room. "The memory of that moment is like a still in my head. I could see an instant bond between them and I just remember Tricia’s eyes and Freddy’s eyes, like magnets looking at each other," shares the doting dad. According to the couple, they could not be more thrilled with their two children and have no plans to add to their family. In fact, despite previously hoping for a girl, Tricia has had a change of heart, saying she has always wanted two boys.

"People say, ‘Oh, you must be disappointed that you’ve got two lads? Not at all! We wanted two boys. I think boys are move loving and that girls are hard work. I know from what I was like growing up with my mother – I was a cow! Teenage girls are dead secretive and you worry about them more. And two is enough; we are really happy as we are — an extra one would really throw us."

Click ‘More’ to read about their new home, how Mark juggles fatherhood and Tricia’s thoughts on leaving Heartbeat!

In addition to dealing with a toddler and a newborn baby, Tricia andMark have spent the last three years restoring their dream home andhave only recently moved in. Although it is clear with thecowhide-print wallpaper and the somewhat stark master bedroom that thehouse does not satisfy most people’s taste, Mark admits that thedesigns are representative of their roots. "We’re not trying to be theposh lord and lady of the manor; we’ve not forgotten where we’ve comefrom — and we love tack! Some people will cringe a little bit, but welike it," explains Mark. While some rooms may catch someone’s eye,Tricia has made it her priority for Freddy’s nursery to be equipped fora prince. With 1,000 Swarovski crystals along with hand-painted 3-Dgold stars and moons covering the four walls, the proud parents arepleased with the finished product. "We wanted something a bit differentto the traditional blue nursery for a boy. I love my bling — I’mobsessed with anything shiny — so we thought the crystals on the wallwould look lovely. The whole room seems fresh and clean; I couldn’twait for Freddy to move into it," shares Tricia.

A coincidence neither Tricia nor her co-workers were anticipating, shortly after Tricia’s character on Heartbeat became pregnant, the 38-year-old actress found herself in the very same situation! Originally prompted by her co-stars to use Freddy as the onscreen baby, Tricia, with no one to "look after him when I was doing my scenes," eventually declined the offer. Although Freddy did not make his television debut, the actress — who is in no rush to shed the baby weight — shares that he traveled often with her and would spend his days with his mum’s friend in a town nearby. Tricia — who after the birth of Jake longed to get back to work — admits that returning to the set to resume filming only weeks after Freddy’s birth took an emotional toll on the family. "Mark and Jake stood on the drive and waved goodbye as I drove off and I cried all the way down the road," admits Tricia.

However, the ever-supportive husband, Mark — who reveals the couple has decided against a nanny — fully accepted his responsibilities as a father when he was needed most. "I was in pain following the cesarean, so Mark did the shopping, cooked my teas, bathed Jake and Freddy, and did the night feedings," says a grateful Tricia, who goes on to call the couple "a team and I feel very lucky." In Mark’s eyes however, juggling a baby and keeping up with his job is all in a day’s work. "I worked a bit from home, so I’ve learnt to type an e-mail with a baby in one hand and a bottle under my chin," laughs Mark. After spending only one night away from her new son and leaving her boys in Mark’s hands, Tricia reveals that she is not looking to go through another stressful night away from her baby anytime soon! "I hated it. I couldn’t wait for the morning to phone Mark to find out what had been going on. I felt like I should be there and that Freddy was waiting for me to feed him in the night and that I should be there for him in the morning."

With the best of both worlds — a great career and a blossoming family — Tricia is quick to say that if her days on Heartbeat came to a sudden halt, the mother of two would have no qualms about leaving the acting world behind.

"If Heartbeat ever sadly came to an end, I could happily be a full-time mum, which I could never have imagined before. Without a doubt, being a mum is my most important role; for me, it’s the best thing in the world."

Source: Hello!; October 28th issue