Nathan Anderson is crying out to hold and comfort his American wife of just four months as they go through the awful trauma of miscarriage.

But the 29-year-old Castlereagh DUP councillor can't - because Rachel is 5,000 miles away and unable to live in Northern Ireland as she has recently been refused a visa.

Indeed, it could be next year before the couple - who have only spent three weeks together since they got married in June - will be reunited, and that's just on a temporary basis.

It's an incredibly tough start to married life for the newlyweds, who were forced to cope with the unbearable loss of their first child in snatched conversations over the telephone.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Belfast native Nathan, whose father is a minister, said that as well as seeking legal advice to resolve the issue, he is also putting his faith in God.

"When Rachel told me she was pregnant two weeks after I returned home it was a great surprise and we were very happy about the prospect of a new life," he said.

"But the following day she was sick, then she became violently ill and her parents rushed her to hospital... we lost our baby. I was so worried about Rachel.

"It was heartbreaking for me not being there for her. I wanted to put my arms around her and hug her.

"It was so hard for me to leave my new bride in the first place and it was so difficult for her to be separated from her new husband.

"Then, suddenly, we were both grieving for a child and we were so far apart."

Nathan said the news that Rachel's visa had been rejected came as a hammer blow to both of them, particularly as it meant that Rachel almost certainly won't be at his brother's forthcoming wedding in Dungannon.

"I've been sitting with my head in my hands in tears many times; but it was a very dark day when I heard about the visa," he said.

"Rachel is a very strong girl, but she's been crying, too. She's very teary at times, although I know she's trying to contain her sorrow and keep her te