Emmerdale’s Zoe Henry admits work has been ‘draining’ as co-star films ‘harrowing’ scenes
EXCLUSIVE: Emmerdale's Rhona Goskirk and Gus Malcolms are caught in a custody battle over their daughter Ivy and actress Zoe Henry admitted it has been a "draining" few months
Emmerdale star Zoe Henry admitted filming for the soap has been “draining” following a number of intense scenes.
The actress made her first appearance as Rhona Goskirk in 2001 and more than two decades later, the character is locked in a custody battle with ex-husband Gus Malcolms, played by Alan McKenna. During their marriage, Gus and Rhona stored frozen embryos which he later stole without her permission to use with his wife Lucy (Charlotte Asprey).
Lucy died in childbirth and Rhona has now formed an attachment to her biological daughter Ivy as she fights to keep her. The 50-year-old explained that while the lengthy shoots have taken its toll, she feels incredibly lucky to play a part in the controversial storyline.
She exclusively told Daily Star and other press: “It’s exhausting, I will say that. But I think we’re all pretty good at leaving work at work and snapping it off.”
Zoe continued: “That’s really important, particularly when soaps are so quick and you’re shooting a lot of content in a day, it can be quite draining. But it’s always a joy. I think we all feel very fortunate to be telling this story so it’s exhausting but it’s what we get paid for.”
Mark Charnock, who has played Marlon Dingle since 1996, shared his take on the storyline which has never been done before on a soap. “It’s been fantastic,” he said. “It’s a great story to play because it’s so different to anything else I’ve seen or done.”
The 55-year-old added: “It’s been brilliant working with the group of actors that we’ve been isolated with over this story. It’s been intense, but satisfyingly intense and you go home feeling like you’ve had a good day on set.”
Alan, 58, made his first appearance as Gus in April 2023 and opened up about how fortunate he feels to be part of this particular storyline. The actor gushed: “I feel very fortunate to have come into the show with such a great storyline and to work with these guys who are brilliant.”
Whilst the controversial plot includes some “harrowing” details, Alan explained that him and his co-stars are able to keep positive once they head home for the day. “We have intense days but fun days as well,” he explained.
“We’ve managed to make it home with a smile on our faces after some harrowing work. It’s been a great story to be a part of.”