There are many ways to bond with grandchildren – baking cakes, buying presents or knitting jumpers for them.

But Cold Feet star Fay Ripley, 58, has said she ‘will be breastfeeding’ her future grandchildren.

Suffering from ‘heartbreaking’ empty nest syndrome, the actress has said she is happy to ‘fill that gap’ by taking on the grandparent role and becoming her grandchildren’s ‘wet nurse’.

The mother of two, who shares daughter Parker, 21, and son Sonny, 17, with husband Daniel Lapaine, 53, said: ‘This is the most challenging moment of my entire life, seeing my kids grow older.

‘But then you can fill that gap with the grandparent role. I’m happy to do that – but I will be breastfeeding. I must admit, I do like babies very much. But yes, I’m taking on the wet nurse role, I believe.’

The actress shares her children with the Australian actor, Daniel, who she has been married to for more than 23 years.

Their son Sonny remains at home as he studies for his A-levels but Parker has left home to pursue a career in acting as she was signed to the same talent agency as Florence Pugh.

Fay admitted to being a ‘helicopter’ parent – someone who takes an overprotective or excessive interest in their children’s lives.

Earlier this year she said was ‘disappointed’ in her daughter’s pursuit in an acting career because ‘as a woman having come through this industry there’s quite a lot of pretending and it’s not as good as the poster says’.

Fay added she was aware she was being ‘claustrophobic’ with her children but can’t resist helping them around the house and said: ‘I’m clearly not getting it all right.

‘I feel like I’ve kept them alive to this point and I’m proud of that, and now, “Hey kids got to keep me alive now”.’

She revealed her plans to keep Sonny at home for as long as possible by making him ‘entirely reliant’ on her cooking so that ‘he will always come back for the food’.

The Suspect star is already ‘getting glimpses’ of an empty home as her children start to grow older and said: ‘I guess for some people, they go quite quickly into going, “Right, now we’re grandparents”.

Fay said on the White Wine Question Time podcast: ‘I think maybe I’m taking it a bit far. Like I still do a turn-down service. Like literally I do a fold-down.

‘I’m putting a flipping pointy thing on the loo roll for when they have their next poo. That’s because I think ‘Ah, that’ll be nice for them’. And I fill a glass of water. At 20 and 16, what am I doing?

‘I think if they were on here they’d say it’s quite claustrophobic. So, I’m clearly not getting it all right. But I really have felt that to this point it’s been a privilege. I don’t know what will happen. 

‘I feel like I’ve kept them alive to this point and I’m proud of that, and now ‘Hey, kids, got to keep me alive now!’

She said she was grateful for the time she got to spend with them during lockdown as it meant they weren’t out ‘taking drugs and abusing alcohol’.

‘I think they would tell a different story,’ she said. ‘But I was able to cook for them… They were forced into a relationship with me that they would have, and have, long since bunged in the bin.’

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