Eden shines at emotional Emmerdale funeral

Emmerdale star Jane Cox says filming this week’s emotional funeral scenes had the tears flowing for real.

Jane plays matriarch Lisa Dingle in the ITV soap and screen daughter Belle has learned she’s responsible for pal Gemma’s death.

A bust-up between the two saw Gemma hit her head and Belle only works out later it was that accident which killed her.

“Filming the funeral scene was really awful,” confides Jane.

“The thing that really set me off was the lovely choir we had. They were singing Don’t You Worry Child and there was a beautiful purity to their voices.

“They were just normal kids, not specially done up as a choir. It was so beautiful and with this coffin there beside us I couldn’t stop crying.

“I just found it very sad. I’m sure it will be very emotional on screen a young girl has died and her father is there grieving.”

Jane says the fact that Belle’s part in the tragedy is a secret adds to the pressure of the occasion.

“Lisa is the only one that knows what Belle is going through,” explains Jane.

“Belle gets up and Lisa thinks she’s going to say: ‘I killed her’. But instead she reads the lyrics of a song that Gemma liked.”

The drama has laid a lot on the shoulders of 16-year-old Eden Taylor-Draper who plays Belle.

And Jane, who’s played Lisa for almost 20 years, has nothing but praise for the youngster.

“It’s a huge story for a young person to do and I’m really excited for Eden,” she adds.

“I’ve been so impressed and she can carry it off as well as any young actor.”