Jennifer Metcalfe was a "blubbering mess" when she read the scripts for her character’s stillbirth scene in ‘Hollyoaks’.
The 33-year-old actress cried her eyes out for the first time in two years when she learned her alter ego Mercedes McQueen would tragically lose her baby but, despite her tears, she found the gripping storyline hugely "rewarding" to act out.
Asked about the challenges of playing Mercedes, Jennifer recalled the stillbirth and the writer who penned the story from firsthand experience and said: "The writer had been through a similar experience herself. I read all the five episodes together on my couch. I hadn’t cried in two years, cut to two hours later I’m just this blubbering mess and I have this lump in my throat. It was so touching and so real.
"We worked together with lots of amazing charities that brought some realism to the story. It was really difficult to film and really challenging, but also so rewarding."
Jennifer – who has played the troublesome tart with a heart since 2006 – added it was draining putting herself in Mercedes’ shoes but the reaction from fans on social media made it one of her best career moments to date.
During a chat with her cast mates Jamie Lomas and Anna Passey with BUILD, she added: "To go in every day and put yourself in that position and feel those emotions, it’s tiring and draining but the reward is fantastic. When you hear on Twitter everybody’s feedback that have been through similar experiences and they say that you did a really good job and you hit the emotion, it’s really overwhelming."
Hollyoaks’ Jennifer Metcalfe wept learning Mercedes would lose baby
