‘I’m in love’: Leslie Ash, 61, becomes a grandmother for this first time

Leslie Ash, 61, has become a grandmother for the first time as she shared an adorable picture with her grandson Lucas to Instagram on Wednesday.

The Men Behaving Badly actress, 61, shared the picture after her eldest son Joseph Chapman, 31, welcomed a baby boy earlier this year with his partner Farah. 

As Lucas rested in her arms in a grey babygro, Leslie fed him with a bottle of milk and delivered a fulfilled smile towards the camera. She wrote alongside the photo: ‘Granny with li’l Lucas❤️I’m in love @joechapman90.’

'I'm in love': Leslie Ash, 61, has become a grandmother for the first time as she shared an adorable picture with her grandson Lucas to Instagram on Wednesday

‘I’m in love’: Leslie Ash, 61, has become a grandmother for the first time as she shared an adorable picture with her grandson Lucas to Instagram on Wednesday

She also shared a repost of the tiny tot in a crib wearing Winnie The Pooh dungarees and a complementing babygro.  

Leslie penned: ‘Look what I’ve got! Congratulations Farah and @joechapman90 ❤️❤️I promise to be the best grandma I can possibly be to li’l Lucas. #lockdowngrandma.’ 

Before welcoming their first son, Joseph proposed to Farah during a trip to Mount Tarawera in New Zealand in December 2009, and Leslie said it was ‘the best Christmas present ever.’

The actress is also the mother to 28-year-old Max with her husband of 35-years and former professional football player, Lee Chapman.  

'Look what I've got!' The Men Behaving Badly actress, 61, shared the picture after her eldest son Joseph Chapman, 31, welcomed a baby boy earlier this year with his partner Farah

‘Look what I’ve got!’ The Men Behaving Badly actress, 61, shared the picture after her eldest son Joseph Chapman, 31, welcomed a baby boy earlier this year with his partner Farah

Leslie tends to stay out of the limelight after claiming the entertainment industry is ‘finished’ with her during a 2019 interview.

Talking to Good Morning Britain, the Men Behaving Badly star discussed how contracting the superbug MSSA has impacted her occupation as she said she will never have the career she once had. 

She won a record £5m compensation payout in 2008 after contracting the hospital-acquired infection, MSSA four years earlier. 

Leslie said: ‘I was 44 in 2004. It was a difficult time in the industry anyway, a woman getting a bit older. It was also the peak of my career.

‘Everything was going well and then bam, the rug is taken from underneath you. You find yourself in hospital, paralysed from the waist down and you’ve to start all over again.

Family: The actress is also the mother to 28-year-old Max with her husband of 35-years and former professional football player, Lee Chapman (pictured in 2000)

Family: The actress is also the mother to 28-year-old Max with her husband of 35-years and former professional football player, Lee Chapman (pictured in 2000)

Down on one knee: Before welcoming their first son, Joseph proposed to Farah during a trip to Mount Tarawera in New Zealand in December 2009, and his mother said it was 'the best Christmas present ever'

Down on one knee: Before welcoming their first son, Joseph proposed to Farah during a trip to Mount Tarawera in New Zealand in December 2009, and his mother said it was ‘the best Christmas present ever’

‘I’m still recovering. The amount of work you put in, that’s what you get out. I normally take a stick if I’m going on the tube or Christmas shopping.’

Leslie was admitted to hospital in April 2004 after suffering two cracked ribs after falling off her bed during a love-making session with her husband.

She contracted MSSA, which, unlike superbug MRSA, does respond to standard antibiotic treatment.

However, she still struggled with her recovery as she continued: ‘I was on antidepressants, I was on very strong painkillers – and I had this feeling if I came off the painkillers I’d be in incredible pain. 

‘My son said, “you should really get off them”. You can’t really make any decisions and they make you feel a bit of a zombie to be honest.

‘I thought as soon as I get back on my feet, I’ll be able to work again. The industry sort of finished with me, it’s horrible.’

She added: ‘I’ll be doing it [acting] until I pop my clogs. I knew right from the start the industry I was getting into was hard. 

‘I want to be involved in the industry. All my years, I’ve always been interested in directing, producing.’

When asked if she would like to act again, she said: ‘Of course, I love acting. I still do. I’ve just done Holby City. I do little bits but I will never, ever have the career I had before, I realise that.’

'Rebuilding her career': Leslie tends to stay out of the limelight after claiming the entertainment industry is 'finished' with her during a 2019 interview

‘Rebuilding her career’: Leslie tends to stay out of the limelight after claiming the entertainment industry is ‘finished’ with her during a 2019 interview