Emmerdale viewers have recently been introduced to a new face in the form of actor Karene Peter, who is playing the role of Naomi, Charles Anderson's long lost daughter.
The new arrival has certainly caused quite a stir in the village after arriving in the Dales to find her biological dad and brother, Charles and Ethan Anderson.
Charles's ex-wife Esme revealed that she'd had a child 22 years ago unbeknown to him and in recent scenes Charles and Naomi came face to face for the first time. Since reuniting with her paternal family it has come to light that Naomi was potentially involved in Nicola King's brutal attack.
Read more: Emmerdale's Adam Thomas leaves wife in tears at breakfast with surprise trip.
Naomi denied the allegations but was later arrested once she got home - it looked like it was the end for her however she was later released. While Naomi may have ruffled the feathers of the villagers and viewers alike, off-screen actor Karene Peters is a far cry from her Emmerdale persona.
Here is everything we know about the soap stars life away from the cameras.
Karene Peters surprising age
Naomi is played be actress Karene Peter, and while she is playing a 22-year-old in the ITV soap, her real age may leave viewers shocked. Karene is actually nine years older than her on-screen character and back in January she documented her 30th birthday celebrations on her Instagram account.
Speaking to Daily Star and other press about her life away from the show, Karene said: "I am 30, I’ve been acting since I was about 18. I kind of just fell into it by accident, to be honest!
"I was on a gap year from university working in retail, the glamorous day job life, and I met someone - who’s my very good friend now - who told me to come to some acting classes.
"I was always interested in drama and things. So I went to some acting classes and there was an agency affiliated with those classes, and I got signed and fell into things from there. It’s been a long, interesting journey!"
Karene spoke about how she was shopping when she got the news about the role, she laughed: "When I found out I was in Sports Direct...nice and glamorous. I got the call from my agent, and I don't know why - because it wasn't off the back of an amazing audition or anything like that - but I just had a gut feeling.
"It was really quite weird. So I got the call and it confirmed that gut feeling, and here we are!"
Karene's previous roles
Some viewers may think that Karene is familiar and they wouldn't be far wrong as she has appeared in an array of drama's prior to landing her Emmerdale gig.
The actress made one-off appearances in Holby City as Lynsey Campbell in 2013 as well as Doctors as Amy Chander in the same year. She then went on to play Serena in the sci-fi series The Sparticle Mystery.
She has also previously appeared in the movie Mindhorn, where she played Jane the Runner. In 2017 Karene starred in ITV drama Unforgotten as WPC Grant. Her most recent gig prior to Emmerdale was Call the Midwife in 2021 where she appeared as student Midwife Georgette Baines, starring in three episodes.
Karene's hobbies outside of acting
In a recent interview Karene said: "Outside of acting I’m really into my fitness, Kevin [Mathurin] will tell you that. I sing as well. I feel like I’m a bit boring, I’m just a family-orientated girl, so my nephews are my world. I’m a pretty chilled and laid-back kind of person really."
Karene is an active social media user and regularly updates her followers with her life outside of work, she often posts snaps of her travels abroad where she shows off her impressive bikini bod.
Emmerdale airs weeknights from 7:30pm on ITV.
You can visit our Emmerdale homepage to find the latest gossip about the soap and its stars. There you'll also find our Emmerdale features and news about the show's 50th anniversary plans.
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