Melissa Suffield has reunited with her husband Robert Brendan for the first time in two months, as she opened up on their 'unconventional' family in a new post.

The actress, 33, eloped with her partner in February in an unconventional Las Vegas ceremony, but they regularly have to spend several months apart due to Robert's commitments as a cruise director.

Melissa shared two loved-up selfies with Robert as they were able to spend a few hours together, after his ship docked close by on Friday.

The star said they spent time 'planning something on the horizon,' with Robert also set to dock in east London, where he would spend time with their son River, six.

Melissa captioned the post: 'Look who I found. 

'So it may have only been for three hours, and it may have chucked it down with biblical rain for the majority of that - but when the ship docks in a port an hour away from home, you better believe I'm making the trip to see Robert, no matter what.

'So nice to spend some time just the two of us (talking about something very exciting on the horizon...) but don't worry - he's docked in Greenwich over the weekend so we will get some family time with Riv too (and hopefully some sunshine).

'Haven't seen each other for two months, and there is still another eight weeks after this to go before he is home with us - so every opportunity is grabbed and cherished. 

'Our little family is so unconventional, but one thing we're always going to do is show up for each other, no matter what. Heart, full.'

Melissa previously revealed that after becoming engaged in 2019 and seeing their first wedding plans thwarted by Covid, she and Robert decided to marry in an impromptu ceremony. 

She revealed in 2020 that after her first wedding was cancelled she planned on keeping things low-key when she eventually walked down the aisle. 

Melissa has established herself as 'The Confident Mama' on Instagram, after becoming an advocate for body confidence and motherhood, and she continued to showcase her changing appearance in a social media post this week.

The star shared a confident video of herself in a bikini while walking on a treadmill, with the caption: ' How to get a bikini body? Step 1- get a bikini. Step 2- put it on your body Voila! You have a bikini body!

'I used to avoid bikinis after I became a mum. I didn't think my new body could wear them because it didn't look like it used to. I didn't bounce back and I thought I'd failed.

'But I was SO WRONG! No matter what you look like- stretch marks, fat rolls, saggy tummy, bloating, body hair, cellulite- you deserve to feel the sun on your skin too! It's time to say f*** it and just GO FOR IT!'

Melissa's Instagram career comes after she was dismissed from the BBC soap in her role as Lucy for 'unruly behaviour' in 2007. She played the character from 2004 to 2010.

Following the dismissal, she spoke out against the decision, saying: 'It's not like I was going out, punching photographers and being sick in a gutter...

'I'm only doing what every other girl of 17 does. It's not an excuse, but out of all the things Lucy has done, the only one I've done is drink underage'. 

In recent months, Melissa revealed how a two year mystery illness resulted in dramatic weight loss 'against her will' and a battle with 'anxiety and loneliness'.

In December, she took to Instagram to mark two years since her symptoms began and said she'd spent £20K on medical bills which resulted in a diagnosis of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

Melissa has previously shared candid insight into her health woes with fans as well as displaying her three stone weight loss in social media snaps.

SIBO is a condition where too many bacteria normally found in the large intestine grow and flourish in the small intestine, fermenting food and causing symptoms like bloating abdominal pain and diarrhoea.

• Sign up for our Spotlight newsletter, direct from our Showbiz expert Katie Hind.