Emmerdale star Natalie J Robb on Moira Barton's shock birth in tonight's episode as the hit ITV soap keeps delivering shock after shock
What a shock for Moira! “She didn’t even know she was pregnant” says Natalie – and neither did viewers! Emmerdale just keeps on delivering those big bombshells. In tonight’s episode, Moira Barton gave birth to a boy, and if it wasn’t bad enough that she never knew she was even expecting, the feisty farmer was forced to have nutty nurse Emma as her midwife – who, minutes earlier, was scrapping with the feisty farmer in a burning barn.
Natalie J Robb gives us the lowdown on the top secret storyline, her TV labour and whether poorly Moira will pull through after her ordeal…
So, Moira was pregnant – did she really not know?
"No! Moira had no idea she was pregnant. So when she went into labour in the barn, it was the first hint. On reflection, she has recently felt tired, but that was her only true symptom. I expect people won’t probably believe that she had no symptoms, but when I was doing research, I was in contact with a lovely lady called Caroline, who suddenly went into a surprise labour, much like Moira.
"It was not her first child, either,, but despite this, Caroline also didn’t know she was pregnant until she went into labour; she had just felt a bit tired. She explained that her figure didn’t really change, so her bump wasn’t visible. It was fascinating for me to talk to her as she really helped me understand how Moira will potentially feel after this shock birth."
Call the nutty midwife? Would you want Emma delivering your child?!
When did you find out about this storyline? Was it last Christmas when Moira slept with both Pete and Cain in the same week?
"I knew for definite around four months ago. The story team had cooked it up last year, but it was set into proper script/story document form later. It was always the plan."
Does Moira believe that Pete’s the daddy?
"I think she just said that to get Emma to rescue her.. It was the only way to stop her shutting her in the barn to die. I think Moira is unsure whose it is…Cain's or Pete’s."
How did you prepare for the birth scenes?
"We had a midwife and nurse on set to help. Because Moira was asphyxiated from all the smoke, she couldn’t scream or cry with the pain. It was good to have someone on hand to give guidance. But it was not your typical birth - a wall of fire and flames and choking from smoke inhalation!"
Do you think Moira is going to make it through or is she going to die from giving birth?
"You will have to wait and see! But she’s pretty poorly and has lost a lot of blood."
How do you think having a baby is going to affect what is to come for Moira?
"It is absolutely life changing."
