Emmerdale star Rosie Bentham has said that playing her character Gabby in the soap has helped her to cope with her dad's death.
Rosie, whose on-screen vicar dad Ashley died in 2017 after a battle with dementia, lost her own dad just a week after her 18th birthday. It was a tragic case of life mirroring art for the young actress, reports the Mirror.
Her dad, John, was also a vicar. He died of a pulmonary embolism, otherwise known as a blood clot, in 2019.
Rosie says that her Emmerdale team were there for her and that "work was a saving grace" as it gave her something to remain passionate about.
Rosie, now 20, said: "Grieving can go wrong for teenagers. People can rebel but that was never me. You think life is so unfair I don’t know why I am here any more.
"I knew I had work – something I loved and was passionate about and I got to work every day. Emmerdale 100% gave me stability."
There had been no symptoms to suggest there was anything wrong with her healthy 60 year old father. She added: "It was such a huge shock. I was on a weekend away, and when I got told I just couldn’t believe it because he hadn’t been ill beforehand.
"I got angry because I couldn’t understand why and how it had happened. I can remember saying: ‘No, no, no’. I would not wish losing a parent upon anyone. You don’t expect it until you are much older.
"My dad was very invested in my journey in Emmerdale just like my mum is now. I’m just glad he got to see me doing what I love and was part of it there behind the drama and experienced it as well, which is nice.
"During a later storyline I remember the director saying to me: ‘Gabby’s dad is dead – this is horrific for her’, and in my head I’m thinking, like, ‘I know’."
Rosie has since been able to progress with her ever-mischievous TV character Gabby by her side. The soap’s young mum has found some reprieve and is now living at Home Farm with Kim Tate, played by Claire King.
Rosie said: "I love working with Claire and feeling a little bit involved with the Tates. I’ve had a baby so I’ve settled in quite well I think.
"People come up to me on the street and they say you’re going to be the new Kim Tate and I say, ‘Yes I am!’ I hope she never moves out of Home Farm because I love being a little mini Kim Tate.
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"Claire King is an icon. She is always there if I need anything or any help.
"In Covid a lot of scenes were two people – a lot of talking and lines to learn – and bless her, she gets twice as much as everybody else to have to say... she has a lot. Then I’d come in and say: ‘Oh Claire, I’ve had so many lines to learn that I might not be on it,’ and she helps me with learning lines because she is very experienced.
"All the directors love her – she’s great. Some people think she is scary. A very common question people ask is what is Claire King like? But that just shows her character.
"It’s a bit like me – when Gabby came in she was really feisty. She didn’t treat people very nicely at all and then people would meet me in the street and go: ‘Oh you’re nothing like her at all’."
A glowing spotlight has been shining down on Rosie in recent years, with comparisons made between her and ex-Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman. Jenna played Jasmine Thomas for four years in Emmerdale.
She said: "It’s so strange because Jenna Coleman started in Emmerdale aged 15-16 like me, in the Thomas family, like me, and now look at her. She’s thriving, so I’d love to go down that route. Would love to meet her.
"Emmerdale boosted her up so much and she loved it and that is where I’m at right now. That could be my vision.
"At the minute I am good, I am happy, Gabby Thomas is thriving. Very happy with my position."
Rosie also takes inspiration from Line of Duty star Vicky McClure, who is also from Nottingham. Rosie said: "I live in Nottingham with my mum and it will always have my heart. I love it here and I’m privileged to live in the nice area of Nottingham where my childhood was.”
And like Vicky, Rosie attended the city’s Television Workshop. She said: "Their mission is to get you a job but also to bring out your character as a person and give you the confidence to go and do drama. If you don’t then fine, but Vicky was used as an example of someone successful in the business.
"She’s great. I watched her in Line of Duty and I’d love to play a detective in a police drama. I’ve not met Vicky, but I’m invested in where she is going. I’d say hi to her as I’ve heard that she is a really nice person."
Rosie is close to her co-stars Daisy Campbell and Isobel Steele, and "very close to Mimi Slinger, all kind of my-age girls". She has a holiday planned to Ibiza this year with Daisy and Mimi, and is looking forward to being "adventurous" while staying in San Antonio.
Rosie is focused on her career and family and believes that working with adults as a teenager made her grow up quickly. But she does have some regrets about not going to university.
She said: "Being 20 is such a weird age. I have all my best friends at uni not knowing whether they’re going to stick with their course or not, living the student life, and I’ve never really lived the student life.
"When I was battling whether or not to go to uni route. It was 100% I wanted to do this, I’m in a job I love.
"The only thing I’d miss out on at uni is the social, but then you’re paying however much for a social life it’s not really worth it. Right now I’m just on an up and would not want to jeopardise that by going somewhere else. I am still getting gripping storylines and doing stunts so why would I want to leave?"
