marriage. He said "Ashley really does love Laurel, although he feels really let down by her at the moment." In late 2006, Laurel discovers that she is pregnant. Bellamy was not required to wear any padding to make the pregnancy appear legitimate, as she was pregnant off-screen. Bellamy said it was a surprise that they both fell pregnant at the same time and "you couldn't make it up". Laurel was temporarily written out of the serial while Bellamy took her maternity leave. When Bellamy returned to filming she had lost her baby weight. She said it was strange to then have to wear "a massive fake bump" and be pregnant again. Upon Laurel's return she gives birth. Middleton told the Daily Record that the birth is typical "Laurel and Ashley - it's absolute chaos". After becoming stranded at the church she arrives to a maternity ward that is over capacity. Bellamy added "It wouldn't have been believable if Laurel had just given birth normally. Nothing normal happens to her - she's a bit off the wall." Middleton that the scenes were enjoyable to film and a midwife was on hand to make the scenes realistic. Laurel gives birth to a boy, Daniel, Middleton said they were "thrilled" to have a child of their own together. Reception Laura Davidson of the Sunday Mail described Laurel as one of Emmerdale's most popular characters, citing "dippy and loveable Laurel" as a firm favourite. She opined Laurel remained true to her "unpredictable" nature when she left Ashley without an answer to his proposal. Though said "teary-eyed viewers" thought she would have said yes "faster than you can say 'white wedding'." Davidson later opined that the "dippy cleaner makes a truly beautiful bride." She added that an army of fans cheered when the "scatterbrain character finally tied the knot with her dream man." Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror said Emmerdale had some "fabulously random pairings" and such as the "unlikely" love-triangle with Laurel, Kelly and Ethan could be titled "The Cleaning Lady, the Scrubber and the Dirty Little Liar." Dek Hogan writing for Digital Spy said Emmerdale had done a good job tackling the issue of cot death. He noted that while Laurel has often been used for comic relief, Bellamy proved to be outstanding in the "moving storyline". He also branded the episode as a "tear-jerker". In August 2017, Bellamy was longlisted for