Tracy’s trauma

Amy Walsh on her character’s desperate bid to prove her dad didn’t start the Emmerdale factory fire that killed him

Her father was killed while saving her life in the Emmerdale factory fire and this week Tracy Metcalfe struggles to cope with feelings of guilt. Tracy was in the factory for a secret meeting with her new lover Billy Fletcher and believes that it should have been she who perished and not Frank. To compound her misery, the finger of suspicion for the fire is pointing at her father so she’s desperate to prove his innocence.

‘Tracy’s broken and in turmoil,’ says Amy Walsh, who plays her. ‘She’s filled with guilt, but also driven to prove Frank had nothing to do with why the fire started.’

Meanwhile, guilty Kerry Wyatt and her daughter desperately try to cover their tracks, although Kerry is caught out while being grilled by the police and is forced to point the finger at someone. And as the debt- ridden factory owners also come under suspicion, Jai Sharma secretly meets Kim Tate. Will he sell her the business?

For Amy, who landed the role of Tracy in 2014, filming the fire and its aftermath, including the death of Frank, played by Michael Praed, has been her toughest test as an actress.

‘ Seeing the stunt double for Michael lying dead was harrowing and made me want to cry. We are all going to miss Michael. The aftermath of Frank’s death is the most challenged I’ve been. I’ve done a lot of crying before as an actress and Tracy cries a lot, but this has been extreme.’

Amy says her colleagues kept her spirits up when she filmed the fire scenes. ‘With so much screaming and crying and reacting to what had happened, everyone was so supportive and we got through it. Afterwards

we needed a gin to steady our nerves. I switched off by playing happy music and watching Love Island.’

Amy, whose sister is Kimberley Walsh of pop group Girls Aloud, adds, ‘It takes its toll emotionally and physically, but I love it. And I do look after myself – I’ve just had a trip to Croatia and another to London, because I’ve got to rest!’

This story will, of course, run and run. Amy, who’s 32, says Tracy will have issues with her sister Vanessa and Frank’s partner, Meg

an Macey. ‘ The blame is put on Frank because of his previous dodgy dealings with money, and Megan’s convinced by other people in the village that it must be him.

‘And Vanessa reacts badly to finding out Tracy was in the factory having a rendezvous with Billy and blames her for Frank’s death. I’ve enjoyed how the writers have written Vanessa and Tracy’s story because it’s true to life how people, even sisters, deal with grief in different ways.’