La Charne Jolly reveals how young Holby nurse Elizabeth plans to explore the world away from the ward... Elizabeth's had a pretty tough time in recent weeks, hasn't she? "Yes, with both her grandmother and mother dying at Holby, it's been a very hard time for her. She now has so many bad memories of the hospital that she decides it's time she took a break." With the £50,000 left to her in her grandmother's will, Elizabeth could do anything! "She didn't want to accept the money at first because she had been estranged from her family and didn't think she deserved it. But everyone urged her to take the money and go on holiday, so she's decided to go to New York for a week on a little adventure." Elizabeth puts the cash to good use before she goes, doesn't she? "Elizabeth is teaching Chantelle to drive, when she gets too confident and crashes into Ric's car. Chantelle promises to pay for the damage, but she can't afford it – Elizabeth knows she has the money to fix the car now, so she takes Ric's keys without him knowing..." Meanwhile, Chantelle and Malick convince Elizabeth to stay longer in New York. How does Ric handle the news? "When Malick tells Elizabeth: 'There are seven days in the week, not one of them is called 'one day'', she realises it's time to shake her life up. Ric doesn't take the news well and blames Chantelle for encouraging Elizabeth to quit. Ric's a father figure to Elizabeth; even when he didn't want to get involved in her family problems, he'd always be there with a hug." Ric tells Elizabeth to return to Holby any time. Are you pleased the door has been left open for her? "I don't think they could have killed off Elizabeth – with everything she's been through it would have been too much! It's nice to end on a high." What's next for you? "I don't really know, but I'm excited about trying new things. I'd like to do a period drama or maybe some comedy – I didn't smile much as Elizabeth, but her seriousness always made for some funny moments." Holby City continues on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC1
