Hold onto your hats Casualty fans, as Connie Beauchamp’s simmering hatred for new nurse manager, Rita Freeman, is set to reach a crescendo on Saturday
Connie has been conducting a deadly hate campaign against Rita since the nurse’s ex-husband Mark turned up at the hospital some months back and was mistakenly thought to have abducted Connie’s daughter Grace.
Meanwhile, Connie’s recent hardline approach to running the hospital sees even indifferent doctor Dylan Keogh questioning the punishing rotas. But with junior doctor Lily on the verge of a breakdown, Rita decides enough is enough. Yet nothing prepares her for the depth of Connie’s deep-seated hatred when she takes her to task.
Chloe Howman, who plays Rita, reveals: “Some really malicious things come out of Connie’s mouth! She blames Rita for her losing custody of her daughter Grace.
“Even though Grace’s leaving wasn’t Rita’s fault, Connie has pushed all the hurt and blame on Rita. As a result Connie has lost all perspective. She’s on the attack because she’s hurting.”
Chloe explains Rita’s been holding her tongue until now, but that’s all set to change: “Rita can see that Connie’s hurting. Also, since becoming nurse manager Rita’s had a lot of learning to do and has come to realise the enormity of Connie’s job running the hospital.
“In a way, Rita and Connie are oddly similar. They both want what’s best for the department, but go about things in very different ways. Rita’s a hands on, people-person and Connie’s behaviour really tests her.”
Chloe can’t reveal how Rita reacts to Connie’s vicious verbal attack, but teases that this isn’t the end of the story: “I can’t say too much but there’s definitely more to come!
She adds: “Amanda Mealing (Connie) and I have really loved filming these storylines and hope the viewers enjoy them as much as we do!”
Read more about Saturday’s episode here
