Gary Hollywood, who plays Dino Doyle in the comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys, has been in the TV industry for 30 years but now he is living his dream come true after welcoming his second son, Carter, in October, having suffered the heartbreak of his wife Cherylanne’s miscarriage in 2023.
"You never get over [a miscarriage]. [Our baby] will always be in our memory, you just learn how to deal with it," he tells HELLO!.
Fundamental to Gary and Cherylanne processing their grief was their involvement with Baby Loss Retreat, a charity dedicated to supporting families after the loss of their baby.
© InstagramThe organisation has teamed up with the Big Give and is cited by Gary as the reason he and Cherylanne – who became ambassadors of the charity in 2024 – were able to navigate their grief.
"I felt very hopeless," he says. "Then I met Bryan and Julie Morrison [who founded the charity in 2018] through a charity event. Because of what had happened, I was really interested in what the charity was all about.
"That’s when I found out the support that they give. They’ve become a great support to us in helping us to deal with things. It made me interested to get involved."
His "adorable" baby boy has "brought a new lease of life and hope – and a future."
Gary and Cherylanne, an NHS dental nurse, are also the proud parents of five-year-old Ollie, who, says the Scottish actor, has taken like a duck to water to his duties as big brother.
“Ollie’s been a great help. We’ve made sure to involve him in the chores of getting nappies or at bath time and occupying Carter, so he’s had his little role.
"We’ve come through the storm, the cloud has lifted," he adds. "And through the help of the charity, the help of friends and family, we have the strength to move forward."
Big Give is championing small charities across the UK in their upcoming Small Charity Week campaign, which runs from 23 June to 30th June. To support a small charity, visit: https://donate.biggive.org/small-charity-week-2025
