Mark Charnock has branded his co-star Paula Tilbrook a "naughty rascal".
The ‘Emmerdale’ actor – who plays loveable chef Marlon Dingle on the ITV soap – joked about Paula’s off-screen antics after filming his final scenes with the 85-year-old star, who announced she was set to leave the show last month.
Following last night’s episode (25.05.15) in which Paula’s character Betty Eagleton left the village for Australia to live with her new boyfriend, Mark told ‘This Morning’: "That woman is a rascal, she is a naughty rascal. There are so many un-broadcastable stories about Paula Tillbrook!"
Speaking to Philip Schofield, Mark said that bidding Paula farewell was emotional and the show’s producers set up a farewell bash in the ‘Emmerdale’ Village Hall for the star, who had played Betty since 1994.
He said: "It was Paula Tilbrook’s last episode as Betty Eagleton a soap legend, an icon really, she left the soap last night after 21 years. They decked out the Emmerdale Village Hall."
Mark, 47 – whose character is married to the troubled alcoholic Laurel Dingle, played by Charlotte Bellamy – added that he is excited about his own future on the show and is looking forward to starring in some gripping story lines.
He said: "I’m involved in one of the most amazing stories I’ve ever had about Laurel’s alcoholism and there’s more twists and turns coming up … there’s a twist coming up at the beginning of next week which will change everything again.
"I’ve never been involved in something where every time you open the script, something incredible is happening and that’s what alcoholism does to people – it turns their lives upside down. He’s at the very end (of his tether)."
Mark Charnock: Paula Tilbrook is a ‘naughty rascal’
