Emmerdale star Zoe Henry has revealed that she was troubled by the graphic nature of upcoming scenes that see Pierce rape wife Rhona on their wedding day.
"I found it quite shocking," said the actress. "And when we rehearsed, I did air my concerns about how brutal some of the stuff we're doing is. I said to the director, 'are we going to be able to show all of this?' And she replied that we shouldn't 'half-tell' this story. If we don't do this story properly, then we're not doing our jobs right."
Next week's episodes of the ITV soap will see Rhona and Pierce tie the knot, only for an argument behind closed doors to end in a violent assault. The pair will fall out after Pierce reveals that he's bought a house for them that's miles from their current home in the village. When Rhona voices her displeasure, an argument ensues, with devastating consequences for the bride.
"She's genuinely shocked by the turn of events," commented Henry. "We've all seen Pierce's temper in the past, but Rhona thought she could manage it. But when this happens, it's so awful that she doesn't know what to do. What Pierce does to her is brutal. So Rhona's frightened and she feels very alone because she's pushed people like Vanessa away, who she would ordinarily have turned to."
For the actress, it's Pierce's actions the wake of the attack that shook her most during the filming process: "It's a surprising reaction. He tries to sweep it under the carpet and says that Rhona asked for it. It's almost like he's saying, 'pull yourself together'. That's the bit I found the hardest."
You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Emmerdale below.
And visit our dedicated Emmerdale page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZs4x5mK9CQ
