STICKING HER OAR IN
EMMERDALE ’S ISABEL HODGINS TAKES ON A BOAT RACE AS PART OF THIS YEAR’S FUND-RAISING…
Make sure you stretch properly for your Friday night in front of the TV this week, because it’s Sport Relief again! From 7pm on BBC1, the presenting team of Alex Scott, Rylan Clark-neal, Oti Mabuse, Emma Willis, Tom Allen, Maya Jama, Paddy Mcguinness and Gary Lineker will guide us through an evening of fund-raising fun – including the return of Battle Of The Channels, where teams of celebs representing the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky will take part in a boat race on the waters of Salford Quays.
When we heard that one of the contenders on Team ITV was Isabel Hodgins – aka Emmerdale’s Victoria – we booked in some time to chat with her during training to find out how it was all going…
“Today was the first day in the water, so we had to carry the boat in,” Isabel tells Inside TV. “We’re all different heights and I’m quite short, so when we were told to lift it on to our shoulders, there are all these 6ft men and then me straining to keep my hands on it! But we did get it in the water, and I thought, ‘Oh, well done everyone’ – then I realised we still had to actually go in it!”
Isabel’s Dales alter ego is more likely to be found toiling over a lasagne in the kitchen at the Woolpack, or taking care of baby Harry – but in real life, is rowing the sort of thing we might catch Isabel doing in her spare time?
“No!” laughs the star.
“I did bell boating in the Girl Guides, and this is not that! But I go to the gym every day, and I like to keep fit.”
It was partially her love of fitness that inspired Isabel to take on the challenge – although the persuasion of a certain Emmerdale cast mate helped to convince her…
“Obviously it’s for Sport Relief, which is a good cause,” shares the actress. “But it was actually Chris Bisson [Jai] who suggested it, because he did the previous one. He said, ‘You’d be good at this!’ – but now I’ve started, he’s off the Christmas card list!”
Speaking of her co-stars, Isabel tells us that she hasn’t had much chance to share her experiences with the cast and crew recently. However, she has made sure that at least one person has been getting regular updates…
“It’s been quite quiet at work recently – I’ve not been in to tell anybody about it; I’ve just been at home with my family in Manchester,” reveals Isabel. “But I did tell Laura
I’M DISGUSTINGLY COMPETITIVE – HOPEFULLY ITV CAN WIN !”
Norton, who plays Kerry, because I tell her everything
– I don’t sneeze without her knowing about it! She thought that it was great.”
Joking aside, Isabel has been working hard at getting herself ready for the challenge – as you can see from these training pictures – and admits that she’d love her team to cross the finish line first.
“I’m so disgustingly competitive,” she chuckles. “Hopefully our team can work together – you don’t want one person being much better than everyone else, or being much worse! But, yes, ideally we can all get it together and ITV can win. That’s the dream,
anyway!”