Emma Rigby's Hollyoaks depression

Tuesday, 19 August 2008

Emma Rigby says playing an anorexic in 'Hollyoaks' made her feel "tired and depressed".

The actress - who plays Hannah Ashworth in the Channel 4 soap - admits she was thrilled when she first found out she would get to star in such a dramatic storyline, but it soon started to take its toll on her.

Check out our Hollyoaks Photo Gallery to see Emma and the rest of the cast in action.

She said: "I'd been really looking forward to getting a big storyline because when I started on the show, I was still in my last year at school and was really limited with the hours I could work. So when I found out about the anorexia storyline, I couldn't wait to start.

"I got such a fright when I saw myself in the mirror after I'd been made up to look tired and drawn, and actors who weren't in scenes with me would come up to me during the day and say, 'Oh my God! You look awful.' I had so many people saying I looked awful, I started to feel really tired and depressed."

Emma - who won Best Actress at the British Soap Awards for her portrayal of the troubled teenager - also revealed she wasn't required to lose weight for the role.

She added to New! magazine: "I was panicking that it wouldn't be believable and that people would say I was too fat, but the producers said, 'We don't want you to lose weight at all.' The make-up and wardrobe department really helped me out in that respect as well."

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE LATEST HOLLYOAKS PHOTOS >

FOR THE LATEST HOLLYOAKS NEWS AND GOSSIP CLICK HERE >