First interview with Emmerdale star playing Emma Barton's killer - don't read on if you don't want to know who did it!
Emmerdale star Natalie J Robb reveals how she always knew that Moira was Emma's killer - until they ended up having three different potential endings due to plot leaks! - as the mystery was finally revealed in tonight's double bill. Here she tells us more...
When they told you that Moira was Emma’s killer, did you think it would be the end of the line for you, because soap killers usually get their cummupance?
Natalie J Robb: "They told me that wasn’t the case. They might change their minds, and if that’s the case, that’s in the lap of the gods and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I’ve just signed for another year, so you’ve got another year of me yet."
Did you know that Moira was the killer from the start?
"I did, but then they decided they were going to do three alternative endings so for a while, none of us knew, we were unsure. That was because of leaks. When Holly died, it was such a shock because nobody saw it coming, and if we can do more of that, it’s just much better for the audience."
So what were the other endings?
"That was Ross and Pete. So you wouldn’t have known which one, and they could’ve put anything on at the last minute.
Is Moira redeemable, given how Emma pushed her into killing her?
"Absolutely, that’s what Emma wants her to do from the off. Moira hasn’t been calculative about it all, she hasn’t thought “I’m going to murder her”, she actually goes up there to bring her down, but Emma pushes all the wrong buttons. Don’t push Moira!"
Do you think it’s a defining moment for Moira and Cain, as they go on a journey together when she confesses to him?
"Yes I think so, he susses it and knows something isn’t quite right and she can’t cope with the guilt of it all. He’s the one she confides in first."
So was the guilt of killing Emma as much to blame for keeping her awake as her newborn baby?
"Yes, it’s to do with that really. We had to play a bit of the postnatal line so that it wasn’t so obvious that she’d murdered someone. And there was a part of the baby blues, but the main part was the guilt."
Why do you think she couldn’t tell anyone else before?
"I just think she was in shock by what she’d done, it was a mixture of things and her emotions were all over the place. And then it was like “What do I do with Isaac?”
Do you think Moira was aware that Emma was doing what she was doing to absolve herself from the sin of suicide?
"Yes I think she was a little bit. I think when Moira is there, Emma makes that decision straight away that she’s going to be the one that pushes her when all Moira wanted to do was save her. And did you notice when she fell, she smiled? Because Emma’s got Moira, she’s won. All the pain and the guilt will be onto her, and that’s what she wants. So she’s calculating right to the very end."
Can Moira move on from this?
"She does go a wee bit mad but she holds it together again, and I think that’s a lot to do with Cain, and also Isaac and Adam."
