Emmerdale's Moira Barton will abandon her newborn son.
Natalie J. Robb as Moira Barton
The farm girl - played by Natalie J. Robb - leaves her baby boy at the hospital to fend for himself after she refuses to accept he has colic - a common condition that causes babies to cry for extended period of times because of abdominal pain - and convinces herself that he has something serious that she won't be able to cope with.
Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Natalie said: "I don't think Moira realises what she's doing when she leaves him.
"It's like she's hitting breaking point at different moments with the baby. If he won't stop crying, she's like: 'I can't cope with this anymore. It's kind of driving her insane.' "
The brunette beauty hasn't had the easiest of times recently as she was held captive by her deranged sister-in-law Emma Barton (Gillian Kearney), almost burnt alive by the psychotic nurse, and then went into labour without knowing she's pregnant.
But she's also trying to come to terms with her daughter Holly's (Sophie Powles) death from a shocking heroin overdose after the one-year anniversary fast approaches.
Natalie explained: "Moira doesn't feel she can cope at this stage. The enormity of her situation is just too much for her to handle, and the anniversary of her daughter Holly's death is still very raw. I think she's fearful that she will lose her son as well, and can't deal with all of that sadness in her life again ... The biggest thing for Moira is the shock of actually being in this situation. Her hormones are all over the place - any woman who's been pregnant will tell you that. You can't control some of the things you feel, and that's how you know it's coming. So the fact that Moira didn't know has been a massive shock. And she's very defensive because she's convinced people don't believe her when she says she didn't realise that she was pregnant."
However, although Moira is terrified of losing her newborn son, the farmer has put herself in a tricky position because the hospital staff may need to report her to social services after they learn that she walked out and left her baby to fend for himself.
The 42-year-old actress said: "Moira would be distraught if that happened. However, the fact of the matter is that she's not coping. For me, it would be a good thing if social services became involved. I think it would be helpful for Moira to realise that she needs help and get it, rather than pretending she doesn't."
Tagged in Sophie Powles