Emmerdale’s Michelle Hardwick has revealed ITV bosses had her do a series of screen tests with different actresses before she was matched with her new love interest.
The 46-year-old, who plays Vanessa Woodfield on the long-running soap, has told how she had to endure countless trials to see who she had the best chemistry with.
Michelle admitted: "There were quite a few women that we saw for the part of Suzy.”
Producers have been searching for a new girlfriend for the village veterinarian and viewers were treated to a tease encounter of the chosen character last week.
Dale fans will see sparks flying between her and newcomer Suzy (played by Martelle Edinborough) in the coming weeks.
“Martelle and I just gelled straight away and had such a laugh I was hoping she'd be the one - and she was,” Michelle explained.
Martelle added: "There is an attraction and the potential for something more romantic between them."
Their blossoming on-screen romance follows a near kiss between Vanessa and her ex-fiancee Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins).
But Vanessa confirmed there is no going back for them, closing the curtains on the power couple paring.
Vanessa and Suzy are due to cross paths in the Woolpack in the coming episodes.
Michelle explained: “‘When they bump into each other for the second time, Vanessa has been having a bit of a dabble online on some dating apps with Matty. He is showing her the ropes and how to do the swiping left or swiping right.
“There is one day when she is sitting in the Woolpack on her own and he’s like, ‘How’s it going?’ and he’s also talking to Bob behind the bar and tells him that Vanessa is having a little look and thinking about maybe getting back out there on the dating scene.
“Then Suzy comes into the bar, and she was supposed to be meeting Priya for a work meeting – and so Bob just goes, “Well, if you are looking for a bit of company, Vanessa is sat over there’.”
“We look at each other and it’s like, ‘Oh no! It’s that mad woman who ran into me with her car and cake went everywhere!’ So there’s a little bit of harmless argy-bargy with them and then Vanessa is like, ‘Oh this is ridiculous, come on, it was a mistake, let me buy you a drink’ and then it goes from there.”
Viewers will see the conversation quickly turn to flirting as Michelle revealed: “They are both sat there chatting and it turns into a little bit of flirty banter without either of them realising it’s going to do that.
“There is definitely an attraction there on Vanessa’s part during that meeting, that second meeting.”
The pair set up a dinner date but fans will have to wait to see if the relationship blossoms.
