Rebecca Sarker has endured a pretty rough on Emmerdale - and she's being pushed to her limits in real life right now.
The 47-year-old actress first arrived in the Yorkshire Dales in July 2018 as Manpreet Sharma - the local doctor and love interest of fan favourite Rishi Sharma.
Rebecca has stated that her character "has lots of layers" and responded to fan theories of Manpreet being a future villain by stating that she has "a little bit of a dark side".
Manpreet and Rishi had a whirlwind romance and got married very quickly, which meant she became stepmother to Jai Sharma, played by Chris Bisson.
This left Emmerdale fans going wild as Rebecca and Chris actually played brother and sister in Coronation Street back in the late 90s.
During her time in Weatherfield she played Nita Desai, while Chris was cast as her on-screen sibling Vikram Desai, but she only lasted from 1999 until 2000.
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Nita and Vikram were the kids of short-term Corner Shop owner Ravi Desai, but after four months she left the family business to work for Freshco.
Throughout her time on the street Nita was pursued by Steve McDonald, Spider Nugent and Curly Watts but only found interest in Freshco boss James Kitchin, although he turned out to be a slimeball.
She left the street for good in May 2000 after getting the manager's job at Scotland's Freshco flagship store in Inverness and left The Street for good.
Speaking about Rebecca joining Emmerdale, Chris said: "It’s lovely to have Rebecca on set – although it’s been years since we were both on Corrie.
"It’s fun to be back together again – Rebecca is really hardworking. She was playing my sister in Corrie and now she’s effectively my mum – I think it bothers her more than me!"
After leaving the cobbles, Rebecca appearred in Doctors, Casualty, Holby City, the 2012 film John Carter and as Dr Newton in two episodes of EastEnders in 2007.
Then in 2018 she got the Emmerdale job and was immediately thrust into some intense storylines, most notably the arrival of her serial killer sister.
While Manpreet was horrified by her sister's crimes and was nearly murdered by her, it was a very different story off-screen for Rebecca and actress Paige Sandhu.
They may not have played adoring siblings in the soap but did have a loving sisterly relationship in real life.
Rebecca explained the friends can count on each other for anything and that while they don't play adoring siblings on the soap, their sisterly bond in real life is a joy,
"We’re like actual sisters" she told told OK!, adding that acting with Paige is half the reason she enjoys her time on the soap so much.
While Paige revealed they constantly send voice notes and message each other on WhatsApp, saying: "If I ever feel anxious or need to vent or anything, I go to Rebecca for support.
"Put simply, Rebecca is a really kind and caring person. We really care about the work and both pour our heart and soul into every scene."
Rebecca is reportedly married but has remained tight-lipped on the identity of her partner, but has revealed she has two teenage kids.
In December last year, she "set the record straight" about her family by joking that she had been asked to confirm that she has two sons.
The actress, who is mum to two boys aged 15 and 10, said her older son likes to remind her to mention him as well as his younger brother.
"I need to set the record straight. I have two sons!" she said. "My youngest is 10 and loves the fact that his older brother, now 15, is never mentioned and my eldest always wants me to remind everyone that I've got two boys.
"I say, 'Yes, darling. I will big you up at every opportunity.' He's a black belt in karate, plays the guitar, and is very handsome."
Rebecca has been part of some incredible stunts, including hanging 60ft over water before her character fell into raging rapids, which she hoped would inspire her boys.
“When I showed my boys photos of me doing the stunts as well as the abseil, they were quite impressed. It takes a lot for them to be impressed but they could see these stunts were a lot of fun.
"I do enjoy taking on challenges. I am a great believer that while it’s sensible to be risk averse, it’s good to push yourself. I like to show them that, ‘If Mummy can do it, then so can you’."
Rebecca is now putting herself to the test on ITV's The Games, where she is competing against fellow celebrities in a series of sports-based challenges.
"I feel this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me," she explained. "I was very honoured and surprised to be asked tobe involved and my children would probably never forgive me if I didn't take part. I
"It's an opportunity tolearn new skills and new disciplines, increase my fitness and challenge myself."
Rebecca has admitted she fears expectations will be high for her, especially in the cycling, because she completed the On Yer Bike Challenge.
"Having said that, I do know my way around a bike so I am looking forward to it," she added. "I might be good, I might be terrible. It's the fear factor for that particular discipline, as itis for the diving.
"I can dive off a boat in the Mediterranean but I'm not sure I can dive off a three-metreboard into a chlorine-filled pool, so to say I'm a bit worried about that is a bit of an understatement.
"I think you have to be a little bit scared of things sometimes though. It's not a bad thing to pushyourself out of your comfort zone. Remind me I said all this when the time comes!"
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