Emmerdale star Fiona Wade is happy pregorexia is in the spotlight

Back on the brink.

Eating disorder charities got a boost when Emmerdale highlighted anorexia earlier this year. One in 14 pregnant women suffer from the problem as they wait to give birth.

So-called “pregorexia” is a growing problem and Fiona Wade, whose character Priya was stricken with it earlier this year, was delighted the spotlight was being turned on the issue.

She got thankful letters from viewers who’d been affected and said it was, “wonderful to think the storyline might be making a positive difference to lives”.

Now the ITV soap is revisiting it again.

Priya, looking for a husband for baby Amba, is about to go through an arranged marriage with Rakesh (Pasha Bocarie). The doubts and pressures get to her and she’s discovered to be hiding her food again.

“An illness like this doesn’t go away,” confides Fiona.

“Under stress it can flare up again. Priya tends to bottle things up and she doesn’t really have anyone to talk to.

“She wants an arranged marriage and suddenly she gets cold feet. She’s worried because her anorexia is starting to rear its head and it shows on her wedding day with hiding her breakfast away. With this, every day is a constant battle.

“Obviously we can’t show that every single day but I’m mindful that she will always be aware of what she eats.

“When she’s happy she can just about get through days. But when she’s unhappy, which she is at the moment, it rears its head again.”

Troubled though her character is, getting ready for a wedding is a big deal for anyone. And 35-year-old Fiona admits she too got caught up in all matters marital.

“Our head of costume was wonderful and she found this beautiful picture of a girl in a dress that looked just perfect for Priya,” says Fiona.

“It couldn’t have been better we wanted to bring in a hint of Asian. The filming was so exciting, it was actually like a wedding day. They had been making this dress for weeks and we had so many fittings.

“As any girl who has a wedding dress will know, it takes a while to get it all perfect. I had very high-heeled sparkly Princess shoes my feet were killing me at the end of the day.

“It was a bit nerve-racking walking on set because everyone was waiting to see how I looked. With the dress and the hair and make-up I did feel rather special.”