EMMERDALE STAR LAURA ON HER
Returning to Emmerdale after 18 months’ maternity leave, Laura Norton is loving getting back into character as wild woman Kerry, who returns to the village dressed as Cher, accompanied by a policeman, and claiming she has been falsely accused of theft.
Actress Laura roars with laughter as she tells how on her big day back on set she was handed hot pants, a leotard and a huge wig to mimic pop icon, Cher.
Laura, 40, says: “With my character you have to expect the unexpected.
“My body is not what it was after having two children, but wearing a leotard and hot pants is all part of the fun. You just have to embrace it.
“I don’t let things like what I look like bother me any more.”
Laura has played bolshy Kerry Wyatt on and off since 2012, and her comeback scenes will be screened next week.
She says: “It’s great to be back at Emmerdale and work as an actor again.”
But while she loves her work, nothing can compare to being mum to son, Jesse, three, and daughter, Ronnie, one.
She says: “Being a mum is incredibly hard at times, but it is also the best thing in the world.
“There is nothing better in my life than when Jesse and Ronnie say ‘Mama’. I love seeing them developing and I love watching them play together. Being a mum is so rewarding.”
But so is her work. Laura says: “It’s great Kerry is back with such a big bang, impersonating Cher, and so full of life. We had such a laugh filming it. I had this massive wig on. It was so windy I was worried it wouldn’t stay on. Thankfully, the wig did.
“It was Kerry’s eyelashes that flew off into the wind.”
Laura admits she needs to “work on my mum guilty feelings” about being apart from her children.
But she says: “At the same time, I know it’s an amazing example to set to
Being a mum is the best thing in the world
LAURA NORTON EMMERDALE ACTRESS