Casey Al-Shaqsy, who plays newcomer Serena Sugden in Emmerdale, has recalled an 'awkward' first encounter with co-star Jeff Hordley, admitting she used to fancy his character Cain Dingle.
Starstruck by Cain
Speaking at an Emmerdale press event attended by Manchester Evening News, Casey opened up about meeting Jeff Hordley on set. She said: 'That’s why it’s so weird that my first episode was with Emma and then I saw Cain. I think I actually got starstruck by Cain. I don’t get starstruck, I talk to everybody. I saw him and I was quiet for once…'
'It was a bit awkward because I was like, ‘that’s Cain’. And I used to fancy him as well.'
Serena's arrival in the Dales
Serena arrived unexpectedly in the Dales last month, surprising fans and residents by announcing she was a member of the legendary Sugden family. Viewers first met Serena after she found Charity in turmoil at a lake, following an assault by Dr Todd. Since then, Serena has been asking questions about John Sugden, raising suspicion among those who knew him.
Suspicions grew when Vanessa Woodfield spotted Serena reading an article about the death of Nate Robinson, who was killed by John before his body was disposed of in the lake. Vanessa later confided in Moira Dingle, who agreed something more was going on. Moira called Robert, and as he left her home he ran into ex-husband Kev Barton, who told Robert that Serena was once a police officer.
Serena's connection to John
Serena eventually opened up about her connection to John, explaining that her mum was struggling financially, so John cashed in his army pension early to help them. She added that she still had some of his money left over and wanted to put it to good use by offering it to his victims.
In recent scenes, Serena found herself in a tricky spot as she walked in to find Dr Caitlin Todd's lifeless body on the floor after Sarah Sugden had accidentally killed her. After the shock wore off, Serena helped Sarah and Charity get their story straight for Sarah to claim self-defence. However, Charity shocked them both by calling the police, telling them she had accidentally killed someone.
Serena furiously chastised Charity but helped her secure a self-defence story, even scratching Charity's arm with Dr Todd's lifeless hand to show a fight had been had.
Overwhelmed on set
Casey also said she felt especially overwhelmed during her first experience being in the same room as the majority of the cast, including Ash Palmisciano (Matty Barton), Joe-Warren Plant (Jacob Gallagher) and Lawrence Robb (Mackenzie Boyd). 'I’ve watched it back and thank God you can’t tell, but I almost threw up,' she said.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube from 7am.
