Tamzin Outhwaite has revealed that her eldest child is transgender.
Speaking on the Parenting Hell podcast, the EastEnders star, 54, admitted she was initially distressed when her son, Flo, first came out seven years ago.
"I've got two kids, and I did have two daughters and now I have a son and a daughter, and that's quite easy for me to say now, but it wasn't maybe six or seven years ago.
"To see him thriving is just nothing but relief and joy for me, really, because there were some dark times."
The actress also recalled when Flo first came out as trans, which she remembers as a "very distressing time".
She said: "The way I reacted at the very beginning, I would love to change because I think until you're going through it yourself with your child, it's very difficult to judge other people or to judge a situation because you don't expect that to happen to you or your child.
"What I did initially, I was like, 'Don't be ridiculous.' I didn’t say it out loud, but my mind went to, 'That's ludicrous,' and I had to work back from that, talking it through."
Family adjustment
Tamzin has two children, Flo, 17, and Marnie, 12, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Tom Ellis.
Tamzin also added that, at the time, while her six-year-old understood the change very quickly, she feared the "wrath" of Flo’s grandfather, who she says is now on board.
"Marnie has been the most insightful about all of it because it's constantly, from pretty much day one, when Marnie was six years old, has said, 'This is my brother Flo.'
"Flo has many nicknames at school, all sorts of different things, all of the kids are so accepting of everything, but I think they're much more understanding."
Tamzin's relationship history
Tamzin was married to Lucifer star Tom Ellis for eight years. The pair first met in 2005 when they were introduced by actor James McAvoy.
Their romance blossomed, and they married in 2006, welcoming two children shortly after. The couple separated in 2013 and their divorce was finalised in 2014.
Moving on
More recently, Tamzin spoke on HELLO!'s Second Act podcast, where she revealed that she had split from her boyfriend of six years, who happened to be 20 years younger than her.
While she ultimately decided she wanted to concentrate on herself rather than on a relationship, Tamzin had nothing but positive things to say about her younger man and the things she learned from being with someone two decades her junior.
"He's still one of my best friends, and I adore him," Tamzin told Second Act podcast host Ateh Jewel. "I didn't want to never see him again, so we're mates. Which feels very grown up."
LISTEN: Tamzin Outhwaite: I left a happy relationship to be single at 53