Natalie Anderson has defended the ‘Emmerdale’ sexual assault storyline.
In last week’s episode, Natalie’s character Alicia Metcalfe was assaulted by teenager Lachlan White (played by Thomas Atkinson).
She said: "We knew that there would be [complaints]. It’s a sensitive storyline.
"Kate, our producer, was quite prepared for the fact this would be shocking. Everything was implied and nothing was explicit."
47 complaints were made to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom after it aired but the 33-year-old actress insists they received much praise for tackling the controversial plot.
She added: "I think to be honest, in the grand scheme of things, there’s been more praise than complaints.
"There is so much more to come with the storyline and they should stick with it to see how the story unfolds."
Natalie also praised her co-star Thomas, 16, for his maturity towards the storyline.
Speaking on ITV’s ‘This Morning’, she said: "He’s helped me and put me at ease a lot because he’s been so mature about the whole thing."
Following the episode, a spokesperson for the show said: "Lachlan is a very troubled teenager and his assault upon Alicia is the beginning of a very dark storyline for his character.
"We thoroughly researched this aspect of the plot and the drama was intentionally implicit rather than explicit."
Natalie Anderson defends Emmerdale sexual assault storyline
