Emmerdale star Samantha Giles, who is best known for her role as Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap, has spoken out about how her personal life is influencing her current storyline.
In upcoming scenes Bernice will leave her fellow villagers concerned over her behaviour as she becomes increasingly erratic and emotional as she is faced with the menopause.
Viewers have seen Bernice Blackstock struggle with a number of health implications of late including hot flushes and other strange symptoms.
READ MORE: Emmerdale Chloe Harris star Jessie Elland's life off air and chance TikTok audition
Actress Samantha Giles made her debut in the Dales back in 1998 and her most recent storyline has her pulling on her own experiences.
In an interview with our colleauges at The Mirror, Samantha revealed: “She has many of the common symptoms, like hot flushes, but I really want to show the serious side of what going through the menopause is like, because Bernice is famous for being a comedy character, I want to bring the funny side to even the darkest aspects of life.
“I get furious and anxious about things, which is obviously very common. I had a brief rage in a chemist’s a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t go as far as Bernice but sometimes, you do get into situations where you would like to scream."
The soap star also spoke of the importance of highlighting the issue so women know "there is a lot of help out there", she continued: "It’s a tough one for women as you can lose your confidence or worry about your self-worth but, hopefully, a lot of the things Bernice says and does will resonate with women.
“It’s so important to have a support network. Women do talk about things together – especially health. For women going through the menopause, it can be absolutely horrific. It can make you feel less feminine and you can fear your sexy days are over but, thankfully, there is a lot of help out there now.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read next:
'It's going to be the killer of all killers', warns Huddersfield pub owner as energy prices rocket
Tragedy as man's body found in car park next to Wakefield corner shop
'Disgrace' as families forced to dig up relatives' graves due to flooding at cemetery
Woman bakes 23-inch Yorkshire puddings so big they could be 'used as boat'
