James has no fear of tears

Thinking about losing people close to him is just part of the job for Holby favourite James Anderson.

He’s revealed how he recalls heartrending personal losses to help him portray his troubled character Ollie Valentine’s torment.

Ollie lost his wife Tara after surgery to try and beat brain cancer and he’s been battling grief ever since.

“I’ve had to get really good at shedding tears as virtually every episode has Ollie crying in a cupboard somewhere,” James told The Sunday Post.

“Sometimes I see it in a script and think, ‘Oh no, not again!’

“But I don’t use any kind of tear stick for those scenes. I always try and do it for real.

“Everyone carries around heartbreak over losses and things that haven’t gone to plan.

“I’ve had people die and I’ve been able to access that stuff when it comes to filming those scenes.

“It’s incredibly sad. But I also think that in some way I’m paying some kind of tribute to those people at the same time.

“The thing is that when I watch films or TV I’m normally moved when people AREN’T crying.

“Crying is a release of something. It’s what’s built up to it that I personally find moving.

“No one wants to see people crying on screen for no reason.”

Ollie has been lashing out at those nearest and dearest as he goes through the bereavement, including physically pushing boss Elliot away.

It leads to him having a therapy session in this week’s episode.

“It cuts between the session that happens in the morning and the increasingly difficult day he has on the ward,” explains London-based James.

“He and rival doc Harry Tressler are both up for promotion, so it’s a big day for him professionally.

“He’s being dogged by everything he’s gone through and it’s a day of reckoning for him in every way.

“There is a lot of darkness in the scripts and it may not necessarily be the most joyous stuff but it’s much more interesting as an actor.”

And the response from viewers who have suffered loss and found the portrayal moving has touched James deeply.

“It’s been quite overwhelming actually,” confides James.

“So many people have come up to me or responded on Twitter.

“They’ve told of having experienced a loss to cancer or even about dealing with it themselves and they’ve been really supportive.”

But being at the heart of the drama has meant long filming days and no time for love.

“I’m single, desperately single,” sighs 32-year-old James.

“I get a lot of nice mail but from teenage boys and girls.

“I spend all my waking hours at work so I need to make time to find someone more my own age!”

Holby City, BBC One Scotland, Wednesday at 10.35pm