Lisa Maxwell found it tough playing a pregnant woman on Casualty - because of her own miscarriage experiences.
The actress - who has 22-year-old daughter Beau with her husband Paul Jessup - is starring on the BBC One medical drama as a 60-year-old woman, who is acting as a surrogate for her daughter who is unable to have children naturally.
But Lisa admits having a bump on the show brought back painful memories for her, as she had experienced two miscarriages in the past. However, she did say doing the show gave her a chance to "lay some ghosts to rest".
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine, she said: "I'm giving birth on Saturday night in front of everybody as a 60-year-old screaming my head off.
"I had a huge bump which threw up some emotional stuff from me when I was pregnant and you know, I wanted more children and I couldn't. I miscarried twice so having a bump again was a very interesting experience and one I'm really glad I had."
And Lisa admits the storyline gave her a chance to "re-process" her losses.
She shared: "It really was as real as it might have been had I been in that situation. It was a chance for me to lay some ghosts to rest.
"People just kind of move on [after miscarriages] and get this stiff upper lip and carry on and don't really talk about the emotional turmoil that comes with that sort of thing. I was able to go back there and re-process it, which was a good thing for me I think."
Lisa had previously recalled to The Mirror how she refused to tell anyone about her miscarriages at first.
"I felt that as a career woman I had to be invincible so I didn’t tell anyone," she explained, "It was awful and I felt a terrible feeling of finality. It really, really hurt but I worked through it."
The Miscarriage Association (01924 200 799) miscarriageassociation.org.uk supports women affected by miscarriage, ectopic and molar pregnancies. If you’re worried about a loved one you can also call the helpline which is manned Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm, or email info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk.
