Emmerdale star Amy Walsh has spoken candidly about the challenges of juggling her role on the soap with being a mum.
The 36-year-old recently returned to screens as Tracy Metcalfe in a storyline that saw her alter-ego tie the knot with Nate Robinson, father of her two-year-old daughter Frankie.
Amy had previously been on maternity leave after giving birth to her now 18-month-old daughter Bonnie in December 2021 — her first child with actor fiancé Toby-Alexander Smith, who played EastEnders’ serial killer Gray Atkins.
Asked what it’s like to be back on the Emmerdale set, she reveals, “The hair and make-up team are like sisters. I've cried a few times in their chair already, just with pure exhaustion or from dropping my child off at nursery and coming in, in tears.
“They were like, 'Right, we won't do your face first, we'll do your hair — you're a little bit red!'
"I always used to complain about being tired before, and now I'm like, 'How has everyone been doing it?'
“It's hard, I'm not going to lie. Only because my child's not sleeping at the moment, so that's tricky."
Amy continues, "Also, the hours that you're here. You'll leave for home at 7 pm and be back in the building at seven the next morning. In that time, you've got to bathe your child and put them to bed, make dinner and then learn your lines for the next day. And, at some point, talk to your other half, get your clothes ready for the next morning and then get up and go again.
"When it's your life, it's a lot — but I secretly get a kick out of being pushed to my limits, I think. So part of me has got a new lease of life from the pressure."
Amy has been a fixture on Emmerdale since 2014. Her character Tracy, who was previously married to grocer David Metcalfe, left the village in early 2022 to take up a new job in Nottingham after Nate cheated on her whilst she was in the grips of postnatal depression.
Since returning to the village, Tracy has set her heart on opening a nursery, and next week she will find herself in a tricky predicament when Caleb Milligan says he'd consider being an investor.
Though Tracy is desperate to get her nursery off the ground, Nate isn’t happy about the prospect of her going into business with Caleb, as he knows it will rile his father Cain and the wider Dingle family.
Cain has washed his hands of Caleb — his half-brother — as the businessman betrayed him and wife Moira as part of his failed plot to get his hands on Kim Tate’s millions.
Says Amy, "Tracy's always looking for the next career move. She thinks it's a good idea to open up a nursery in the village, so I'm going to be looking after more kids!
“I've actually asked if Bonnie can be an extra, just so I can see her a bit more. The producers think I'm mad. I don't think that'd be a wise move, to be honest!
“She moved away to Nottingham for work. She’s got a passion for being successful, and this is just another venture she's taking herself on.
“Whether it works or not is another matter, but she's going to put her heart and soul into it.
“She's just so much about creating a future for Frankie that she didn't have. I think that's really nice to see.”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30 pm on ITV, with a hour-long episode on Thursdays — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on ITVX.
