Pierce is slowly but surely isolating Rhona from her family and friends, Jonathan Wrather tells Soaplife. And that includes Vanessa…
Rhona may be taken in by Pierce, but Vanessa certainly isn’t. Realising that the controlling lawyer is bad news for her pal, Vanessa is determined to let Rhona see his true nature. Pierce of course, knows she’s onto him and sets out to create a rift between the pals. “Vanessa is the fly in the ointment,” Jonathan Wrather tells Soaplife. “Pierce is slowly but surely isolating Rhona. Now he wants to distance her from Vanessa.”
What’s going on with Pierce and Vanessa? “She is his nemesis and she’s onto him. What is great is that Pierce has one face for Rhona [Zoe Henry] and another for Vanessa, who sees right through him. He is trying to create a wedge between her and Rhona, which is working as Rhona tends to side with him.”
What does Pierce think when Vanessa confronts him over his controlling behaviour? “Pierce actually finds that threatening and does his best to warn her off. He wants to be in control and Vanessa [Michelle Hardwick] isn’t playing by his rules.”
What happens when Rhona comes home with sexy lingerie? “She and Vanessa bought all Laurel’s stock because they felt sorry for her. Rhona comes home a bit tipsy and annoyed with Vanessa who has accused her of being under Pierce’s thumb. Pierce spots the underwear and cajoles her into trying it on. One thing leads to another and he ends up filming it on a tablet.”
What does Rhona think of that? “She wants him to delete it and Pierce is annoyed. He says he has, but actually, he’s put a copy on the laptop.”
How does this involve Vanessa? “A message from her pings up while Pierce is filming Rhona and it’s less than flattering about him. Pierce goes round to warn her off. When Vanessa sees his true colours, she decides to up the ante and make sure Rhona finds out what he is really like.”
But Pierce sets her up, doesn’t he? “Pierce decides to make sure Vanessa deliberately sees the film he made of Rhona, knowing Rhona won’t be happy about that.”
What would Pierce do if he found out that Rhona had kissed Paddy? “He would be extremely hurt. Rhona has a history with Paddy [Dominic Brunt] and he is also the man who had an affair with Pierce’s wife. It would really fuel his anger.”
Can this relationship work? “At the moment, things are repairable between them. Rhona did go with him to his anger management classes, so there is hope. However, it all depends on what he is going to do next.”
Emmerdale, ITV
