Emmerdale actress Amy Walsh has revealed she was concerned that filming a gruelling postnatal depression storyline could affect her unborn child. The 34-year-old, who plays Tracy Metcalfe, discovered she was pregnant while in the midst of the harrowing plot, but kept it secret from the show's producers for several months.
Walsh sought medical advice about whether the emotional scenes could harm her baby. She said: 'I checked with my midwife to make sure that me crying all the time at work couldn’t be affecting the baby. She asked if I was enjoying the work and coming away feeling happy and satisfied. When I said I was she explained that I’d be getting endorphins from doing well at work and that it was different to me going through that turmoil personally.'
The actress, sister of Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh, said the storyline was an eye-opener for her boyfriend, EastEnders actor Toby-Alexander Smith. She explained: 'There were a few scenes where Tracy was quite awful to her boyfriend Nate. Toby said that if I was snappy and grumpy and behaving that way towards him after having our baby, he would just have assumed I was tired, he wouldn’t have known it was PND. It’s made us both aware of the signs if it happens to me.'
Walsh and Smith, who have been together since 2019, recently confirmed they became parents over Christmas. The couple moved from Hertfordshire to East London to be closer to Walsh's family, who have also recently had babies. Walsh said: 'Both my sisters have just had babies – Kimberley’s got a six-month-old and Sally’s got a five-month-old. I feel well clued up on what to expect and they’re always there at the end of the phone; I’m very lucky.'
Viewers will see Tracy leave Emmerdale in upcoming episodes, marking Walsh's exit from the soap after seven years.
