Moira struggles with her baby son
THE EXHAUSTED MUM IS PUSHED RIGHT TO BREAKING POINT…
Moira’s loved ones are beside themselves with worry this week, after she returns to hospital with her baby – and leaves him there to fend for himself! Has she lost the plot? “Moira doesn’t feel she can cope at this stage,” explains Natalie J Robb, who plays her. “The enormity of her situation is just too much for her to handle, and the anniversary of her daughter Holly’s death is still very raw. I think she’s fearful that she will lose her son as well, and can’t deal with all that sadness in her life again.”
The stress of recent events has certainly taken its toll on Moira, who didn’t know she was pregnant until she went into labour. That – coupled with her showdown with Emma at Butlers Farm and followed by the deranged woman’s death – has pushed her over the edge.
“The biggest thing for Moira is the shock of actually being in this situation,” reckons Natalie. “Her hormones are all over the place – any woman who’s been pregnant will tell you that. You just can’t control some of the things you feel, and that’s how you know it’s coming!
“So the fact that Moira didn’t know has been a massive shock,” continues the actress. “And she is very defensive because she’s convinced people don’t believe her when she says she didn’t realise that she was pregnant.”
HOSPITAL DASH
As the likes of Faith and Victoria try to lend Moira a hand, she loses her temper with them. And while left alone with her little boy, Moira struggles to cope when he won’t stop crying – leaving her convinced that something is seriously wrong.
With that, Moira makes an emergency doctor’s appointment for her son, and is told that the little’un is suffering from colic. But after Moira refuses to accept the diagnosis, she rushes him to the hospital – where she does the unthinkable…
The biggest thing for Moira is the shock of being in this situation”
“I don’t think Moira realises what she’s doing when she leaves him,” shares Natalie. “It’s like she’s hitting breaking point at different moments with the baby. If he won’t stop crying she’s like, ‘I can’t cope with this any more!’. It’s kind of driving her insane.”
CALLING HER BLUFF
After Moira returns to the farm without her son, it’s not long before Faith realises something is very wrong. She soon learns of the little mite’s whereabouts and, along with Moira, dashes back to the hospital. There,
Faith attempts to bluff her way through by chatting with the nurses and telling them they’ve named the baby Isaac.
But has she done enough to salvage the situation, or will the staff feel that they have to contact social services?
“Moira would be distraught if that happened,” sighs Natalie. “However, the fact of the matter is that she’s not coping. For me, it would be a good thing if social services became involved. I think it would be helpful for Moira to realise that she needs help and get it, rather than pretending she doesn’t.”
Whatever happens, this storyline is set to propel Moira into a new chapter in her Dales life as she gets to grips with both being a mother again – after the tragedy of losing Holly – and all the trauma of the past few weeks.
“Since last summer, it’s been pretty full-on for her,” agrees Natalie. “I’m not going to lie – it’s been exhausting! But as long as I make sure that I come home and have my outlet, it’s okay.
“I walk the dog – that’s my way of chilling out before I learn my lines for the next day,” adds the 42-year-old star. “It’s just about finding the right balance – and since this is a new path for Moira to go down, I don’t mind it!”