Isabel Hodgins felt “really vulnerable” when her character Victoria Sugden had to tell Moira Barton about her horrific rape ordeal.
The Emmerdale star’s alter ego was attacked in her own home earlier this year by Lee Posner, and the actress felt “embarrassed” having to cry her heart out in front of the cast and crew while shooting the hard-hitting scenes with Natalie J. Robb.
She told Whats On TV magazine she was “daunted” by the scenes because she knew they were “important”.
“I’ve never had to really sob,” she revealed. “And I didn’t want to just scrunch my eyes up and cry – it needed to be from the soul.
“But that’s so exposing. Even though I’ve worked at Emmerdale nearly 13 years and I’m friends with all the crew, I was a bit embarrassed; sitting there while everyone’s watching you sob your heart out.
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“I just felt really vulnerable.”
Victoria is now pregnant as a result of the sexual assault, and while the chef reported the crime to the police, a lack of evidence means Lee hasn’t been charged.
The 25-year-old actress revealed she had help on set when it came to channelling the right emotions and realising where she had to take a character she’d been playing since 2006.
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She explained: “The director was good at tapping into where he needed me to get to.
“He said, ‘Victoria is dead; she doesn’t exist any more. She is broken, she is a shell,’ and that makes you sad because of the woman she has become.
“I’ve been playing her for a long time and I’ve grown up with her.
“I’ve had to evolve from a girl, to a teenager, to a woman, and she’s been on that journey as well, and they were like ‘That’s all gone now, you’re starting from scratch.’ ”
Emmerdale is on Monday to Friday at 7pm with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursday on ITV.
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