Exhausted new dads Kieron Richardson and husband Carl Hyland coo over their baby twins Chase and Phoebe Rae as they're pictured for the first time since the birth

• e-mail

They joyfully welcomed their twins, son Chase and daughter Phoebe Rae, into the world via a surrogate mother in May.

And Kieron Richardson and his actor husband Carl Hyland seemed to be relishing fatherhood as they took their beloved tots for a stroll around Manchester.

The Hollyoaks star, 31, looked exhausted but happy as he cooed over their children, while Carl looked on lovingly during the relaxed outing on Wednesday 

Scroll down for video  

Proud parents: Kieron Richardson and his actor husband Carl Hyland seemed to be relishing fatherhood as they took their beloved tots for a stroll around Manchester

 Kieron looked casual for the day out in a black hoodie, while Carl mirrored his relaxed vibe in a white T-shirt and trainers.

The pair have been settling into fatherhood well, with Kieron sharing several sweet snaps of their twins. 

One snap captured the bundles of joy wearing matching babygros as they lay on the sofa watching Hollyoaks.

He captioned the heartwarming snap: 'My little babies watching Hollyoaks before bed.'

 Loving life: The Hollyoaks star, 31, looked exhausted but happy as he cooed over their children, while Carl looked on lovingly during the relaxed outing on Wednesday

Cute: The pair have been settling into fatherhood well, with Kieron sharing several sweet snaps of their twins

Kieron had announced last December that he and husband Carl were set to welcome twins into the world via a surrogate.

And he revealed that he and his beau have become fathers to son Chase and daughter Phoebe Rae in a cute Twitter post in May.

The Hollyoaks star made the announcement by posting a snap of the babies' hospital bands, alongside the caption: 'Welcome Chase and phoebe rae x'. 

'My little babies watching Hollyoaks before bed:' One snap captured the bundles of joy wearing matching babygros as they lay on the sofa watching Hollyoaks

New parents:  Kieron revealed that he and his beau have become fathers to son Chase and daughter Phoebe Rae in a cute Twitter post back in May

The sweet snap revealed that the twins were born on Monday, at 6.11pm and 6.34pm respectively. 

The actor had revealed over Christmas that he and Carl were expecting twins, making the announcement in an adorable festive-themed video.

The clip showed two 'Baby on board' signs hung up on a Christmas tree, before revealing Kieron and Carl sat on the floor opening a present.

Sweet announcement: The Hollyoaks star made the announcement by posting a snap of the babies' hospital bands, alongside the caption: 'Welcome Chase and phoebe rae x 

When they removed the wrapping, the gift was a large piece of card which read: 'Twins coming 2017'

The caption on the video read: 'Merry christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

Kieron then revealed the gender of the babies - a boy and a girl - in January, gushing that he and Karl were set to welcome their 'very own Prince and Princess'. 

Confirming the news to the Digital Spy, the actor explained: 'Our mums have done most of the buying [for the babies] so far.

Baby joy: The couple revealed they would become proud fathers to twins in a sweet Instagram video, which they shared last December

'We wanted to wait to see whether we needed to buy pink or blue, but now we know we can buy both colours, as we're having our very own Prince and Princess.'

Kieron's Hollyoaks alter-ego, Ste Hay, is a father to little Leah and Lucas, but admitted he does not plan to name the twins after his on-screen children.

He joked: 'I've had the best training ever with little Leah and Lucas, although we won't be calling the twins Leah and Lucas - that would be weird'.

The greatest gift: The couple shared the news in a festive-themed video, which showed two 'Baby on board' signs hung up on a Christmas tree

The couple's baby joy comes just 10 months after Kieron revealed they had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF and were concerned they weren't going to ever have a family of their own.

Speaking at the time, he told The Mirror: 'We were hoping to have a baby this year. Unfortunately, like anyone who is trying for a baby through IVF - whether they are gay couples or not - it is a lottery. 

'We have tried it four times, with the same surrogate mum, and we have fallen into that 30% bracket of it not working. 

'But we have not given up the fight and are still continuing. We are going to keep trying until it is successful.' 

Past, future, present: The caption on the video read: 'Merry Christmas to us thanks to the British surrogacy centre (sic)'

Relief: The happy news came after the actor revealed that the pair had been struggling to conceive a baby through IVF after four failed attempts

The couple married in April 2015 in front of Kieron's co-stars at a romantic ceremony in the the Peak District.

The loved-up pair posed for photographs in front of Devonshire Dome in Buxton Derbyshire, with as many as 12 bridesmaids, including Stephanie Davis, Jennifer Metcalfe and Gemma Merna.

The pair announced their engagement in 2014 after seven years together.

Kieron came out in 2010 when he revealed on television that he was gay like his on-screen character Ste.

Big day: The couple married in the Peak District in April 2015 alongside 12 bridesmaids, including Stephanie Davis (left)

True love: The pair announced their engagement in 2014 after seven years together