Zoe Henry admits she is "struggling to like" her character Rhona Goskirk at the moment.
Zoe Henry
The 'Emmerdale' star's alter ego has immediately found herself having symptoms of the menopause after undergoing a hysterectomy, and she has tried to hide what's happening from her on-screen boyfriend Pete Barton (Anthony Quinlan) while pushing him away.
She told RadioTimes.com: "He seems to adore her and be prepared to do anything for her. But there's only so much a man can take. I am struggling to like her much myself at the moment! She's so all over the place.
"One moment she is yelling at him and the next she's crying. They've only been together a year so the relationship is still in its infancy. It's a lot for him to take on but she is strong. But she's got a long road to travel."
Instead of turning to her current partner, Rhona seeks comfort and advice from ex-husband Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt) and former boyfriend Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock).
Zoe - who has appeared on the ITV soap since 2010 - added: "Marlon and Rhona have got such a history. They have a child, Leo, together and this great bond. So she can open up to Marlon even above Paddy or Vanessa.
"They just have this great understanding. But it's really hard for her, she can't even admit to herself how it is making her feel. So to tell someone else, even someone who she loves as much as Marlon, it's nigh on impossible."
The issue of the menopause hasn't been dealt with properly on a British soap, and the actress is glad 'Emmerdale' bosses have "done their homework" for the storyline.
She said: "I think 'Emmerdale' tells stories really well and very honestly. That's down to our amazing Research team because they're all over it.
"Until I read up and got the scripts I didn't realise if you have a radical hysterectomy like Rhona has, the menopause will pretty much happen right away. 'Emmerdale' have pretty much done their homework on this."
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