Mark Wright's mum Carol has given a surprising insight into his marriage to Michelle Keegan.

The former TOWIE star and Fool Me Once actress, both 38, tied the knot in 2015 in a lavish ceremony at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

During the latest episode of their family podcast Wright At Home, Carol opened up about her relationship with Michelle.

Reading a letter sent in from a listener, her daughter Jess said: 'Whenever my mother-in-law comes over she acts like I stole her son.'

Sharing her thoughts on the situation, Carol said: 'It's a hard one because everyone's sons are like, you know, they're your sons and… a woman comes along and they do take your son.

'But I'm a bit different because I actually hold back because of that reason.

'I always think that when the girl comes into our family it's quite they feel a bit overpowering to so many of us, so I seem to be like I hold back a bit.'

Jess then explained how she hated the narrative that her mum was this 'evil mother-in-law' because it is far from the truth.

'It's nothing like me, I'm totally the opposite,' Carol explained before admitting that she would step in to 'protect' her son, if needed.

'If I thought that my son was going to marry somebody that wasn't right for them, and you knew they weren't right for them, and you knew it was never going to last… of course a mother-in-law should step in a little bit,' she said.

'Because you don't want them to be unhappy.

'You want them, once they get married, to be happy and stay married forever.'

It comes after Mark and Michelle celebrated their first Christmas as a family of three with their daughter baby Palma.

The couple welcomed their first child together in March of this year, with Michelle's husband Mark by her side for the birth.

In pictures posted to social media, fans have been given an insight of their festive celebrations together.

It was a family affair with former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark's sisters Jess and Natalya, mum Carole and brother Josh all gathered around the table for Christmas dinner.

Michelle could be seen sat beside Mark smiling for the group snap as she held a champagne flute in her hand filled with orange.

Mark, wearing a white t-shirt, had his arms around Michelle and his dad, Mark Snr.

Another capture showed Palma's proud aunt Jess, 40, holding her in her arms as she wore a gorgeous sheer white blouse.

Palma looked festive in a red velvet outfit that featured a large bow at the back as they both posed beside a beautifully decorated tree.

The little one also bonded with her cousins during the day, with a snap showing mum Michelle crouching on the floor as they all gathered around a large doll house.

Jess captioned the photographs: 'Christmas all wrapped up.

'I feel beyond lucky to be surrounded by family.

'Thinking of all those without this year or missing loved ones.'

In November, Michelle and Mark revealed they had put their Christmas decorations up early at their £3.5million Essex mansion.

They took to Instagram to reveal the sheer scale of the decor after enlisting 4 Seasons Events to makeover their huge abode.

In the video, garlands with red baubles and giant bows framed the front entryway of the house.

In the grand hallway, the staircase also had foliage running down the bannisters while a huge tree stood centre stage.

Surrounded by presents, the tree was adorned with gold stars and more red baubles.

They captioned the post: 'It's the most wonderful time of the year, an extra special one for us this time.

'Thank you @4.seasonevents for bringing the magic to our home again.'