Jennifer Ellison ties the knot in Mauritius

by Tom Burgess. Published Tue 13 Oct 2009 08:47, Last updated: 2009-10-13

Jennifer Ellison has revealed that she married her fiancé in a secret ceremony last weekend.

The Liverpool-born actress tied the knot with partner Rob Tickle on the tropical isle on Saturday 10 October in a private wedding.

Jen, 26, wanted to get married before the birth of her first child which is expected in January 2010.

She said: “Something that has been really important to me since I was a little girl is to be married before I had children.

"Originally we set a date for August 1 in Ireland, but we ended up having to cancel.

“Then I found out I was pregnant - which I was over the moon about - but I was upset I wasn’t married.”

The heavily pregnant star, who shot to fame as troublesome teen Emily Shadwick in cult Merseyside soap Brookside, wore a strapless Jenny Packham dress with a pair of cream heels and was delighted with the outfit for her special dress.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous," she beamed.

"My dad has always said he wanted to buy my wedding dress and I didn’t want him to see the pictures and miss out on that opportunity so I took him for lunch and I told him.

“He came to London and chose my dress with me. He’s the only person who knows and I made him swear he wouldn’t tell anyone. Because he couldn’t walk me down the aisle, I didn’t want to take that away from him.”

Ellison also revealed that she was more worried about the reaction of the couple's families about their runaway wedding than the traditional nerves.

She added: “One of the biggest things playing on my mind is not telling my mum, because we’re so close.

"But when we were planning the wedding in August there was so much stress and she was like: ‘Why don’t you just run away and get married?’ When she said that, I didn’t feel as guilty.

“They’re over the moon, they’re dead happy - it’s such a relief! Telling our families has made it all the more special because of their reaction. I’ve loved every minute.”