Coronation Street star Sair Khan delighted fans by confirming her shock return to the ITV soap on Tuesday – just a few months after giving birth to her first child.
The Leeds-born actress, 36, who has played the role of Ayla Nazir since 2014, welcomed her baby boy in April with her partner Nathan Chilton.
She worked for most of her pregnancy, after announcing the happy news in December last year, and eventually left filming just days before she welcomed the tot.
Now, in an exciting update, Sair has confirmed she’s preparing to return to the cobbles.
The soap star posted a snap of a Coronation Street script and branded mug to her Instagram stories, with the caption ‘I am Backstreet’ alongside the date ‘September 2024’.
Viewers saw Sair’s character get close with her boss Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) before deciding to leave Weatherfield for a job opportunity in Dublin.
Fans will have to wait a little longer to find out what’s in store for Ayla upon her return.
In May, Sair shared the news that her baby boy had been born, sharing a series of heart-warming snaps of the couple cradling their tiny newborn.
In the lengthy caption, she opened up about motherhood and her pregnancy, giving fans a detailed insight into her ‘rollercoaster’ labour.
In the carousel, she shared a sweet snap of Nathan gently holding the teeny tiny one on his chest.
‘He’s here!,’ she penned thrilled.
‘Okay, when I said ‘Spring awakening’ in my last post I didn’t mean ‘keep’ me awake. The new parent zombie look is definitely a thing isn’t it.
‘More importantly our little boy is just marvellous. Very serious and curious about the world. He’s super strong and so resilient for joining me on the absolute rollercoaster that was our 22 hours of labour. We didn’t quite get the birth i’d hoped for but that’s okay (two birth pools, no water birth).
She went on to explain what her labouring experience was like: ‘How can I describe the labour experience… it was raw and primal and I’m glad I kept an open heart and no expectations because my gosh I had NO IDEA what a ride I was in for.
‘And since then we’ve been non stop trying to figure out latches and vomit and tears all while dealing with sleep deprivation and the small issue of trying to heal my own body too.
‘Massive respect to all the new Mama’s and Dad’s trying to get through those first few days and weeks.
‘Somehow we’re off the starting blocks and I’m so unbelievably grateful for our healthy baby, for Nathan and the for the incredible support network around us for their patience, generosity and late night voice notes that have kept me going.
‘Anyone else ever felt like there’s a DJ beat coming from your breast pump at 3am or is that what delirium is?!,’ she joked.
She finished off giving new mums a word of advice: ‘I’ll get round to sharing all the bits and bobs that I’ve found most useful in the early days. Sound machine is definitely up there, can’t believe we did without it those first few days!
‘And also eevvvvery-thing for soothing yourself during breast feeding! Lanolin balm, Silver Shields, Silicone shields. For now it’s back to the cuteness, cuddles and intoxicating new baby smell that are making it all worthwhile. Sair x.’
Sair revealed her pregnancy with a happy announcement on her Instagram page back in December.
The soap star looked radiant in the photos as she cradled her belly while posing alongside her boyfriend Nathan.
Alongside the snaps, she wrote: ‘Hello… It’s been a little while since posting on here which has been a real mix of emotions.
‘With all that is happening in the world it didn’t feel like the right time to share but we also know it’s okay to keep hope and pray for peace whilst acknowledging that we feel blessed and grateful.’
Sair addressed Nathan’s health issues in the post, noting he had chondroblastoma surgery – a procedure to remove a tumor – on his pelvis in 2022.
She said: ‘Last year was a challenging time for us both with Nathan’s chondroblastoma surgery on his pelvis. It’s been a long road to recovery and still has many obstacles ahead as we deal with the spread of the tumour to his lungs.
‘Life can be difficult and there’ll always be challenges to face but there are also important lessons to be learnt and gifts to be cherished. We’re so excited for the arrival of Baby Chilton in Spring 2024.’
Sair and Nathan went public with their romance in 2021 but they have been together since late 2020 after being introduced by a mutual friend.
Speaking of Nathan’s surgery, Sair said she was ‘so proud’ of her partner at the time, writing: ‘Nathan has been on a long journey to have his pelvic chondroblastoma removed.
‘He’s been documenting the story on YouTube with the aim of helping others going through similar life changes.
‘It can be a really isolating experience. I’m so proud of him for being so open and vulnerable in the hope that others won’t feel so alone.’
Prior to her relationship with Nathan, Sair was in a two-year romance with Emmerdale actor Simon Lennon who she split from in 2019.
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