Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I won’t inject things into my face.. I owe it to my daughter
Soap star plans to grow old gracefully
starred as child abductor Casey Carswell, who had an affair with Ashley Peacock, played by Steven Arnold. In Emmerdale her character Rhona has been addicted to painkillers and she had a fling with her friend Vanessa Woodfield, played by Michelle Hardwick, to manipulate her into getting drugs. But Zoe is happy to tackle tricky issues. Rhona’s storyline will be the first time the menopause has been dealt with head-on in a British soap. She says: “Even now in 2019, it is a subject that women don’t really talk about.”
Viewers will see Rhona suffering hot sweats, anxiety and mood swings, and questioning if her relationship with Pete Barton [Anthony Quinlan], who is 13 years her junior, can survive. Zoe says: “It is hard getting older, and it is one of nature’s cruellest blows that women go through the menopause as their children are leaving the nest. In another three years, when I am probably going to be embarking on the menopause, my daughter will be leaving home.”
But Zoe is determined to stay healthy so that she is better prepared.
She says: “The menopause is coming and I think that informs how I live my life – I don’t drink, I exercise every day, we cook from scratch.
“I’m investing in myself and doing all I can to keep myself healthy – and whatever happens with the menopause, I will just have to deal with.”
Emmerdale, ITV every weeknight.