‘I was a really shy tomboy when I was young ... but now I’m in a good place’
IT’S TV’s hottest soap and Natalie J. Robb is the Scot at the very centre of it.
But while she’s settled in her smart house in North Yorkshire and Emmerdale filming is done in Leeds, Natalie insists Scotland is still where her heart is.
And she’s told iN10 how she’d love to come back to where it all began.
Natalie, who plays Moira Barton, made her name as rebellious teen Trish McDonald in Take The High Road. And a return to STV’s shooting location Luss is very much on her radar.
“Whenever I come back to Scotland I always try to go to Loch Lomond, it’s like a calling,” said Natalie on a welcome day off from her busy schedule at Emmerdale, voted Best Soap for the second year running at June’s British Soap Awards.
“It’s where I started and my mum drummed into me when I was very young not to forget your roots and where you’ve come from.
“I’m 42 now and I was 15 when I went into that but it still doesn’t seem that long ago in some ways. It’s nostalgic to go back and it’s such a beautiful place.
“If I was ever to get myself a little holiday home, Luss is where I’d look.”
Despite being in the public eye since she was a child, Natalie admits that the confidence she displays on screen as no-nonsense Moira wasn’t there in her early days.
“I was extremely shy and it did affect me. I’d just go home after school and hang out with my brother and his pals. I was a tomboy and I felt very comfortable with that.
“Home is where I’d always want to be, and it’s still the same now with the fame thing. The shyness is something that can stay with you, it doesn’t just go away.
“It’s taken a long time to get used to social media and it can feel a bit uncomfortable. It’s great if you have a fan base and people want that bit of contact.
“But using it for self-promotion makes me cringe. I don’t really like it. You should be able to get acting work on your own merit and not on how many followers you have.”
We revealed earlier this year how times were so tough when Natalie made the switch to London that she slept in a car at one stage.
She explains that she wasn’t homeless – she was kipping in her car but showering in her cousin’s flat – and the sense of adventure more than made up for any discomfort.
“I was young and I didn’t care. I was really excited about going to London because it was like starting all over again after High Road.
“I was happy-go-lucky. You have that no-fear factor, which I wish stayed with us more as you get older.
“But I still very much live for the now. When I was younger I did try and look at the future a bit and I don’t think that’s necessarily helpful as you can try and scramble too hard for what you’re trying to achieve.
“I think it’s important to appreciate what you have now.”
What Natalie, whose acting inspiration came from watching old Frank Sinatra movies with her mum, did achieve was
big roles in EastEnders, The Bill and Doctors, among other shows.
They were all steps along the way, with her youthful, itchy feet always leading her to move on to pastures new.
After transient times, Emmerdale came calling eight years ago this month.
And after all her moving around, she’s contentedly settled in North Yorkshire, with a – finally redecorated – home a 45-minute drive from ITV’s Leeds studios.
“I had to put some roots down now I’m a little bit older,” confides Natalie.
“It’s hard to live out of a suitcase and London was expensive and tough. I was given a three-year contract when I started here and I thought I should buy when I can.
“If I didn’t I’d have been thinking about all the money I was throwing away in rent, which is what I did for 12 years in London.”
Home is where I’d want to be. It’s still the same with the ‘fame’ thing.
The fact that she quite obviously loves Moira and the challenges the character brings is definitely another reason she’s happy the contract has always been renewed each December. “If they want to get rid of you they can,” she reveals. “That’s why you’ve got to keep your feet on the ground. You never know when you’ll be out work again, so you have to enjoy the moments while you can.” The acting challenges were ramped up to the fullest towards the end of last year with the harrowing scenes where Moira found the body of drug addict daughter
Holly.
Filming the ongoing dramas saw long tear-filled days that Natalie tried to put behind her during the scenic drive home and then evening walks with her dog.
The impact on viewers was huge, especially as it hadn’t been trailed and came as a major shock.
“It was harrowing,” admits Natalie. “It was done properly, over many years, and showed how someone with everything to live for can give it all up like that.
“I was a bit anxious when it came to filming the death scene, because I wanted to get it right for parents and families who’ve suffered this.
“I didn’t know what I was going to do on the day which I’d been dreading.
“I decided to play it quietly, rather than all hysterical, and the reaction was amazing.
“It went mental on the internet and social media, of course. I was honestly really shocked by it all.
“I was away with friends in Madeira at the time and we were sitting round the table and they were telling me all the comments.
“Phillip Schofield tweeted about it and the day after I got back I was on This Morning talking to him about it. It was a crazy time and, I’m not going to lie, I enjoyed every bit of it.”
Natalie’s performance saw her nominated for a National Television Award earlier this year. And Emmerdale’s soaring standing was demonstrated at the Soap Awards, with not only the biggest win of the night but triumphs in numerous other categories.
It was a night, though, that Natalie missed. She decided to give her tickets to some of the behind-the-scenes crew.
“I stayed at home as it’s nice to let some of the production team go and enjoy themselves and see what it’s all about.
“But I’ve sat there so many years and we’ve always lost. We’ve been producing great stuff and you start to wonder what’s going on.
“It’s coming our way now, though, and it’s really nice to be recognised for what we’re doing.”
Natalie’s frequently at the centre of the big goings-on in Emmerdale and she says her workload has been ramped up again with more full-on storylines, including the ongoing ‘will-they, won’t they’ relationship with bad boy Cain.
It all brings her endless attention including, she laughs, from teenage boys who frequently shout at her in the street.
“I was even across in Barbados for my best friend’s wedding just a few weeks back and I was amazed at how many people were coming up to me,” adds Natalie.
“I’m in a very good place just now, I’m really happy.”