Emmerdale actress Sally Dexter has said her character's current "emotional" storyline has been "tough to film."
The 62-year-old plays Faith Dingle on the ITV soap and the character has recently learned her cancer has returned - only this time it is incurable. Faith has since been putting on a brave face and not wanting to put the burden of her health onto her kids, Chas and Cain, she has decided to keep it a secret from them.
The only people who know of her devastating diagnosis are daughter-in-law Moira Dingle and nurse Wendy Posner. However, in upcoming scenes, Faith's family will finally learn the heartbreaking truth about her secondary cancer diagnosis.
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Speaking to the press, actress Sally revealed that the storyline has been "tough" for her but she has received plenty of support from cast and crew. She said: "Yeah [it is tough].
"First of all I thought, ‘this is great, this is a great way to go with this character and there's all sorts of things we can do with it, and all sorts of directions’. Faith is a character that can go in any direction.
"I think initially I thought it was a really great idea, and then suddenly I realised when I started reading about it, the treatment, how people cope with it and the reality of it, it dawned on me this is a serious gig and it's more than a gig because this is really happening to people. You can't just take it lightly."
When asked if she got emotional during filmed, she replied: "Hugely, hugely, one of the great things about the crews here and other actors is how supportive they are, I felt very held, it's been a great experience in that way, but also you don't forget ever for a moment that you’re doing something that is real and is happening to people. It matters how we portray it."
But Sally really wanted to do the story justice as she said that getting it right was important for viewers. She said: "It's 100 percent vital we do it justice. There are people sitting out there watching the show who have it, or are sitting next to somebody who has it, are about to have it and they need to know first and foremost that you can get better.
"The fabulous treatments, the fabulous charities who work with people going through this and many, many people do come through it. We want to tell the story as truthfully and honestly and as caringly, with all the humour and humanity that goes along with a situation like this. It is not all doom and gloom, we are humans. We laugh and do all sorts of peculiar things."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub
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