'Coronation Street' Charlie Condou becomes parent for second time

Coronation Street star Charlie Condou has become a father for the second time after a female friend gave birth to his child through IVF.

The openly gay actor, who plays Marcus Dent in the ITV soap, will bring up the baby boy with his boyfriend Cameron Laux and the child's biological mother Catherine Kanter.

The couple are already parents to 2-year-old daughter Georgia Mae, also born to Kanter.

Condou announced the news - as well as the baby's name - on Twitter on Wednesday (January 11), simply writing: "Happy Birthday Hal Condou."

He later added: "Thanks for all your messages. Obviously I don't know him very well yet, but he seems like a lovely bloke #HalCondou."

When his Corrie co-star Ryan Thomas (Jason Grimshaw) joked that the 39-year-old would be "the best dad in the world apart from me", Condou jested: "He's already got a bigger kn*b than you."

His impending fatherhood was first announced by his colleague Kym Marsh in July 2011.

> Corrie star: 'Gay couples can be parents'