Emmerdale star Natalie J Robb has spoken out about her own health scare after her character Moira Dingle suffered a terrifying seizure in Tuesday’s episode.
The actress, 49, said the storyline makes her feel ‘lucky to be alive’ as she revealed she had a ‘pretty scary’ experience with her own health last year.
‘It was pretty scary as I found a lump in my right breast. I went to see the doctor who told me they were more worried about one on my left breast,’ Natalie J Robb told The Mirror.
‘I asked what they meant as I couldn’t feel anything. It was higher up. I went into overdrive and I had to go for a mammogram.
‘Thankfully, it was a cyst and it was benign.
Something like that does change your perspective though and I try to be as healthy and fit as I can be now.’
Natalie’s character Moira will be dealt with ‘life changing’ news after suffering a seizure at the farm.
Moira had returned to drinking, despite having a past addiction to alcohol and her husband Cain (Jeff Hordley) had been concerned about her.
At the end of the episode, the farmer had been tending to the cows when she suddenly collapsed on the floor and had a seizure.
Speaking about acting out the scenes, Natalie said: ‘When I was told Moira would be suffering from a serious health condition, I knew I wanted to play my part in helping to raise awareness, a soap can play such a big role in shining a light on many different illnesses, as it has so brilliantly this year with Chas’ cancer diagnosis.’
Natalie said she used her own emotions of her own health scare to help with the storyline, as well as speaking to an expert on how to accurately portray someone suffering from a seizure.
Emmerdale bosses are keeping the condition which is causing the seizure a secret, so viewers will have to tune in to see how Moira deals with the terrifying scare.
In the interview, Natalie J Robb also spoke about how she is content being single as she said: ‘I used to get judged for not having children. But I am happy the way I am. I have got good friends; family and I don’t feel it’s something I need.’
The actress added it would have to take ‘someone special’ for her to have a relationship in the future.
Natalie previously dated her co-star Jonny McPherson, who plays Dr Liam Cavanagh, on the soap.
The couple went public with their relationship in July 2020, with Natalie revealing their romance blossomed during a charity trip to Lapland in December 2019.
The actor had previously moved in with Natalie at the start of lockdown 1the tone of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year