Interview: Suzannne steps out into pastures new

The former Hear'Say member who shot to fame when the band was formed in the TV talent show Popstars, is set to make her first appearance in Emmerdale next week.

After the group's split in 2002, the petite blonde notched up a string of West End roles and TV appearances, even bagging the crown in the third series of Dancing on Ice.

"Ever since I've been in the business all my jobs have been extremely different from each other," she says.

"One thing I did want to do after Hear'Say was go back to acting, so for me it's a great way to get back into it and learn the trade again. What better show to do it on?"

She admits it's a "very different" game from the theatre parts she's used to, what with a new style of acting ("everything's a lot smaller") and fresh scripts to learn each night.

Suzanne plays Eve Jenson, the feisty granddaughter of Dales stalwart Edna Birch (Shirley Stelfox), who turns up on Edna's doorstep unannounced after her marriage breakdown leaves her saddled with debt.

And it's not long before she turns her charms on the men of the village, ruffling the feathers of several women in the process.

"She's fun and feisty and very, very flirtatious," Suzanne explains.

"I think people see Eve as a bitchy person but I don't think she really is. She just loves to have fun, and because she's going through a big

messy break with her husband I think she flirts with the boys.

"I think that's her way of getting through her marriage breakdown.

We've got quite a list of men she goes through. I did my first kissing scene yesterday. It was very nerve-racking!"

That particular kissing scene was with Ryan Lamb (James Sutton), but there are many more to come.

One of the next moves for cash-strapped Eve is a job as a farmhand. As we speak, Suzanne is preparing to get stuck into filming her first scenes on location ("I've just had my nails done, oh no!")

But for now, the Bury-born actress is still getting used to being part of a show she's watched since she was a youngster.

"It was really exciting going into the village for the first time because you grow up watching it and I still have to pinch myself now. It's like, 'I'm sat in the Woolpack, how bizarre's that?'."

And, despite the inevitable comparisons, she feels no rivalry with Hear'Say bandmate Kym Marsh, who has starred in Coronation Street since 2006.

"I know it's an obvious thing to do because she's in a rival soap but the soaps themselves compete against each other. I don't think the actors should be doing that too," she explains. "I'm just doing my own job, my own character and I'm doing what I enjoy doing."

She hasn't seen Kym for a long time, but is impressed by her work in Corrie.

"She does a very good job. She's a really talented girl," she says.

"I'm really proud of her, (and former Hear'Say stars] Myleene, Danny and Noel. They're all doing so well in their own right, it's lovely to see everyone progress and do different things."

Career-wise, Suzanne is sorted until at least next April on Emmerdale, thanks to a year's contract. And her personal life is in good shape too.

She's the proud mother of five-year-old Corey, the product of her high-

profile relationship with Darren Day, and is looking forward to taking him to visit the set.

"He's not happy because he doesn't get to watch Ben 10. He used to be able to watch it before bed but I said 'Now mummy's in Emmerdale you have to watch Emmerdale before you go to bed'."

She is happily married to Jason King, otherwise known as JK in DJ duo JK and Joel, after tying the knot last summer.

"It's great because he works for Leeds Radio Aire so his studio is right next to the ITV studio. I pop in to see him every now and again before I start work." But what about all the those kissing scenes? Don't they give her husband a touch of the green-eyed monster?

"He doesn't get jealous. He just gets me to practise with him!" she says.

Suzanne's casting comes amid talk in the press of a sexier new Emmerdale, with a string of new signings (Cutting It's Jason Merrells is another newcomer) and romp-filled storylines.

The actress says she's "really excited" to be part of the rural soap as it is today, a far cry from the Emmerdale Farm of yesteryear.

"Gavin Blyth, our producer, has been in for the last year and has

turned it around so there are higher viewing figures. They are taking it away from the farm a lot as they dropped that title years ago.

"It's like me being attached to Hear'Say. It's going to take a long time but eventually you move on to do other things and it has a natural process of turning itself around.

"I think it's very exciting time and the buzz in the building is amazing. Everyone seems to really love what they're doing."

Suzanne Shaw appears in Emmerdale from Friday, April 2 on ITV1, 7pm.