Emmerdale’s Olivia Bromley on Dawn’s birth ‘I was terrified of holding the baby’

Most soap opera Christmases are full of drama. From affair revelations to family fights and even tragic deaths, there’s never a dull moment.

But sometimes there is a ray of hope. Happily that’s the case for Emmerdale ’s Billy and Dawn Fletcher, who are having a baby.

While actress Olivia Bromley admits the birth isn’t too distressing for her character Dawn, it isn’t plain sailing either.

“Dawn ends up going to labour at the Christmas fair, so she’s not with Billy (Jay Kontzle), she’s actually with Aaron (Dingle, played by Danny Miller) at the time,” Olivia says. “That’s not her expected labour plan and because Dawn has previously had a traumatic experience being pregnant – she was addicted to heroin, then had her baby taken away – she sees this as her second chance. She puts herself under a lot of pressure."

“This time Dawn decides to be drug-free and have a water birth,” continues Olivia. “And she does get back to Home Farm. Everyone’s involved, Will (Taylor, played by Dean Andrews) and Billy are there too. Dawn has a healthy baby boy called Evan, named after Billy’s dad.”

Olivia spent a day filming in a bath, and says playing out the labour was a real experience.

“It was an interesting day at work, especially doing the birth in front of a crew. We got to film with a 12-day-old baby, Malachi. I was terribly nervous to hold him, but his parents were so chill and they’re looking forward to seeing him on screen.”

Another person hoping to be by Dawn’s side during the birth is Kim Tate (Claire King).

But on the day Dawn goes into labour, a secret is revealed to her husband that puts a strain on Kim’s marriage.

“Will finds out Kim is involved in Craig’s death,” says Olivia. “Kim is a great help to Dawn. They’ve had a difficult past but now they’re like mother and daughter. It’s a really lovely, wholesome, joyful, Christmas experience.”

Viewers have been rooting for Dawn to get her life on track ever since she arrived in the village, and Olivia is in two minds whether she wants some more drama to come their way.

“As an actor, and as a character, I like different things,” she says. “I love playing Dawn when she’s really angry, grumpy, the more rough and ready Dawn is naturally what I enjoy.

“But for the character, and generally for the feeling of the show, it’s really important to see some stability. I get quite a lot of messages from people who say ‘it’s so good to see someone who’s gotten clean on television’. They like the positive journey in that way.

"I met someone in Manchester a few weeks ago, and she talked to me at length about her own journey and she said it’s nice to see someone working through it. So I think it’s important to have a period of joyfulness and happiness – but it’s not going to last long.”

As for what 2024 will bring, Olivia isn’t too sure.

“There are some big things coming up, but I’m in the dark as much as everyone else.”

Source: Read Full Article