The baby weighed a healthy 6lb 8oz and Jill – who has starred in Coronation Street, EastEnders and Waterloo Road – had a smooth labour.

Craig says: “We are really proud of our baby.

"We won’t do anything for a couple of weeks because we just want to get settled.”

The couple, who married last year, first met and fell in love when they starred in a stage version of George Orwell’s 1984 at the Newcastle Playhouse six years ago.

They set up home in East London but, homesick for their family and friends in the North East, moved back at the end of 2006 to a new home in Northumberland.