Home And Away actress Emily Symons admited she’d “given up” hope of having a child of her own, after years of failed cycles of IVF.
But in 2015, the 53-year-old’s dream of becoming a mother finally came true when she welcomed her son Henry Richard Francis Jackson with her then partner, Paul Jackson.
“I very much thought it couldn’t happen and I was too old,” she said.
“I thought it would be impossible but it isn’t. I’d given up, really, I thought I had tried every avenue that was available to us. My advice is to not give up if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole process.”
Adding of her heartache to try and conceive: “I spent a lot of my 30s being so anguished about not having a baby.”
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“But the flip side is that IVF can take over your life. It gets to the point where you’re so desperate to have a baby, everything else falls by the wayside.”
With a high-risk, difficult pregnancy due to an issue with her placenta and blood pressure as a result of her age, Emily feared that Henry would be delivered prematurely. However, after being put on virtual bed-rest for the last few weeks of her pregnancy, Henry was delivered by caesarean at 38 weeks.
“I knew when I first visited the obstetrician that I would have a caesarean because of my age,” Emily told Mother & Baby in 2017. “I didn’t mind because it’s taken me all these years to have a baby [and] as long as he was healthy, I didn’t mind how he came out.”
Having lost her own mother several years earlier, Emily credits Henry for helping in the grieving process.
“Watching Henry enjoy little things like going to the supermarket in the car has made me realise that it’s these things that matter. I lost my mother in 2010 and I forgot how to be a happy person,” she says.
“Henry has bought so much joy with him and he’s really taught me how to enjoy my life again.”
Keep scrolling as we round up Emily and Henry’s sweetest moments!
Emily Symons
Could Henry catch the show biz bug? Em took her son to the Home and Away set for a special day of filming, and her castmates were thrilled to see him.
The 52-year-old posted a picture of them on set while she was in costume, and she captioned the memorable snap, “I had a very special visitor at work today 💙 Lucky Mama 🥰.”
Her co-stars filled the Instagram post with comments praising little Henry. Georgie Parker wrote, “Look at that smile ❤️❤️❤️🙌,” Lynne McGranger gushed, “Hello loves 💙💖🙏🥰🥳,” and newbie Nicholas Cartwright commented, “Cuuuute! ❤️.”
Babe in arms: Emily snuggles up to a newborn Henry.
Emily shares Henry with her ex partner, Paul Jackson. The couple sadly broke up in 2016 when Henry was 11 months old.
Miracle baby! “I very much thought it couldn’t happen and I was too old,” Symons said of her son, who was conceived via IVF.
Cuddles for mum after a dip in the ocean.
For Henry’s fifth birthday the star, who plays Marilyn on Home And Away, admitted she still can’t believe she got her miracle baby.
“I thought I would be too old. There was a very small chance that I could get pregnant using my own egg anyway, so we were lucky that our last attempt worked,” the mother-of-one has revealed of her conception journey.
Friends in high places: Henry with Emily’s co-star, Lynne McGranger.
“Henry has bought so much joy with him and he’s really taught me how to enjoy my life again.”
Henry is besites with Emily’s co-star Ray Meagher and we must admit, we’re quite jealous.
Seriously, what a duo!
“Got to see my Valentine for a babycino in between scenes today,” Emily penned on Valentine’s Day.
“Blue Mountains with my boy. Nothing like a bit of fresh mountain air.”
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Emily celebrated Henry’s fifth birthday with a Star Wars theme. “Happy fifth birthday to my beautiful boy! Such a lovely day yesterday celebrating with our loved ones 💙🎈,” Emily wrote on Instagram, alongside this adorable photo of herself and Henry at his birthday party on the weekend.
Several of Emily’s Home And Away co-stars took to the comments section to also wish Henry a happy birthday, including Sam Frost and Lynne McGranger.
“Awww Happy Birthday Henry!!! ❤,” Sam wrote, while Lynne commented, “Happy birthday Hennie. What a beautiful big boy you are 💙🙌🏼😘🎉🎂😍.”
Emily Symons
Em and Henry on a peaceful walk in Sydney’s Blue Mountains.
Emily Symons
We can feel the love bursting out of this picture.
Emily Symons
Emily shared this gorgeous picture to celebrate Mother’s Day, she wrote, “Loving my Mother’s Day squeezy cuddles 💙🥰🤗 ➡️ 😂 Love being your Mummy Hen.”
Emily Symons
Henry turned six during Sydney’s 2021 lockdown but luckily his doting mother made sure he felt special, with a soccer themed cake and balloons.
To commemorate the occasion Emily posted this message, “Happy 6th birthday my beautiful boy 💙⚽️Look at his amazing cake (that has smarties inside!) made by our darling @lauren_e_hamilton 💜 A lockdown birthday that was made so special by his school teachers, little friends, Mums sending videos, FaceTime chats with cousins and beautiful family and even happy birthday sung to him by Aunty Lally and family from the front garden! So much love and kindness 🎈.”
The mother and son duo took to the beach to watch the last sunset in 2021.
So cute! We can imagine the trouble Ray Meagher and Henry get into.
“Happy Mother’s Day ♥️ Thinking of all the amazing Mamas and carers today. Especially our heavenly Mums who can’t be with us. Also go us single Mamas, treat yourself today because you deserve it!” she wrote on Instagram.
Henry celebrated his seventh birthday in August 2022. He must really love Liverpool football club, the cake looks incredible.
On June 19, 2023, it was announced Emily was nominated for the TV WEEK Silver Logie for most popular actress. To celebrate the amazing occasion, her friend threw a stunning party.
“When you get home from school pickup and @Lauren.ehamilton has thrown you a little party to celebrate Logies nom,” her Instagram story read.
Home and Away airs Monday to Thursday, 7pm, on Channel 7 and 7Plus.
