Yahoo News Emmerdale's Lisa Riley shares regret on working after family death
Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley opened up about going back to work following a family bereavement, revealing that she feels she returned "too soon".
Speaking to The Mirror, the actress, who has played Mandy Dingle since 1995, spoke about the grief after the death of her fiancé Al's mother.
"It has been a treacherous time and it’s still very raw in the family, In hindsight, when Nana passed I shouldn't have gone back to work so quickly," she said.
Al's mother, known to Lisa as 'Nana', passed away after a battle with cancer earlier this year. Riley did take a short break from filming after the loss but returned to work before the funeral, something which she now acknowledges wasn't the right thing to do.
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She continued: "What I wanted to do was carry on regardless, and I had to really dig deep to shoot the scenes, I now realise it was the wrong thing to do before the funeral."
Despite acknowledging that working so soon wan't the best idea, Riley was however full of praise for her fellow Emmerdale cast and crew who were in full support. "What it does continue to make me realise, though, is just how incredible they all are. They have been beyond amazing," she said.
Riley was also full of praise for her fiancé, adding: "Tragedy does pull people together. I am so glad we've got each other."
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The actress also reflected on how the grief brought back memories from the loss of her parents, particularly her mother. "I have spoken openly before about how my parents' mums both died young and how I always called Al's mum, Nana," Riley said.
"It was identical to my own mum and it brought all those memories back. Al's mum was like a second mum to me and we were all incredibly close."
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV and streams on the ITV Hub.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage.
If you identify with the themes in this article, the NHS has resources available to help with grief counselling and other support in the UK. In the US, the CDC also has resources available for those grieving.
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