Maria’s been heartbroken this year as she’s tried to support Liam through his bullying ordeal. How has it left her feeling?
It’s been a massive rollercoaster of emotions for her, she’s gone through the shock, anger, sadness and then distress after learning what he was thinking of doing. I think she’s feeling a bit shattered by it all and that’s had an impact on her relationship with Gary as well.
We’ve seen her using hidden cameras and being obsessive about checking up on Liam, do you think this has affected her mental health too?
It’s had a massive impact on Maria’s mental health, she’s had obsessive thoughts, she won’t leave Liam alone for a second. She’s not been able to think of anything else, her work has taken a backseat and so has her relationship while her focus has been on Liam, obsessively so.
The cameras have led to her discovering what still seems to be a very close bond between Gary and Sarah. Is she worried something could be going on there?
Yeah she is, she’s had all the stuff with Liam to worry about and now this has just given her something else to be concerned about. She’s never been happy about Gary and Sarah’s friendship after them previously being together and she’s always had her doubts about whether they’ve still got feelings for each other so it’s another thing making her massively insecure.
She’s stood by Gary through a lot, do you think their relationship can withstand this?
I think they have built a really good, strong relationship over the last few years so I think if they get through this they will come out stronger than ever but it’s whether they’ll be able to get through it or not.
You’ve been in the show for 24 years now, how does that feel looking back?
It’s crazy and I can’t quite believe it when I say 24 years, I mean I still feel 24 so to say I've been in the show for 24 years just makes me realise how quickly the time has gone. It’s a bit of a reality check when I’m chatting to the younger cast in the green room and some of them are not even 24 and I think wow I’ve been here longer than you’ve been alive. I would never have expected it, I didn’t have any long term plan when I started, I was only 17 and I was grateful to just have a 3 month contract. That seemed to me like a long time as a jobbing actress.
What’s it meant for you to have that stability and all the friendships over the years?
It’s been really special, when I look back I don’t regret staying in the show this long. I’ve had some amazing storylines that I’ve been honoured to play out and the friendships make it so special. A lot of the cast and crew have been there as long as I have, if not longer, I’ve made lifelong friendships and that’s really lovely because you don’t often get that in our industry. Jane (Danson) is one of my best mates, we live round the corner from each other, as does Ali (King) they’re definitely great friends outside of work as well. Tina I’ve known since we were kids, we went to the same drama school, they’re lifelong friendships and we’re really lucky.
What’s the best thing about working here?
It’s difficult to narrow it down because it really is a special place. For me I like the fact that I get to act all year round and I can come home to my family at night, that’s a massive draw for me as an actress and a mum. I also love the variety of the storylines and the cast that I get to work with, it’s just an absolute pleasure.
Are you enjoying now getting to play stories with Maria as a mum herself?
Yeah definitely, I can relate to Maria massively being a mum myself. My daughter is the same age as Liam is in the show so this storyline has been massively relatable to me. I’ve found it easy to draw upon those emotions and it is nice to play these stories that feel really real, especially when they’re so well written.
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