‘I Hate Doing Kissing Scenes!'

The actress opens up about making a return to the soap and how she’s juggling her career with being a mum-of-three.

- Sue Crawford

On screen, she’s the feisty landlady of Emmerdale’s woolpack, and while actress Lucy Pargeter says she can match her character’s outspokenness, there’s one area where the two women are worlds apart. motherhood is very low down on Chas Dingle’s list, but Lucy couldn’t be more devoted to her brood. already mum to 12-year-old Lola, she gave birth to twins missy and Betsy in April, after five years of IVF treatment with fiancé Rudi Coleano. and she can’t contain her joy. The 40-year-old actress, who lives with her family in north Yorkshire, talks to us about baby brain, returning to work and her former life as a pop star…

‘Returning to work was a huge mix of emotions.

I wanted to get back because I love my job, but I was nervous because I haven’t had to learn anything for so long and my brain had gone to mush. I thought I’d forgotten how to act. I did a couple of scenes and everyone was like, “Remember that you’ve got to put an accent on and not just talk like yourself.” At the end of each day I was going, “Oh my God, that was rubbish!” I apologise to everyone watching for the first couple of weeks – I think I was a bit ropey!’

‘I once said I’d love more kids and an even madder household.