Emmerdale star Susan Cookson has revealed she quit acting after her husband’s heartbreaking death. The Wendy Posner actress lost her husband, actor Malcolm Scates, in 2016.
She nursed him in his final months and was devastated by the loss. So much so that she had decided to give up her long career of acting to retrain.
Susan, 58, has told how she made the decision to give up her career for a more regular job. And, after years of playing doctors and nurses – and her experience caring for Malcolm – she decided to become a nurse.
But while she was driving to meet up with a nursing manager to discuss retraining, she got a phone call that would change her life.
Emmerdale star Susan Cookson reveals how soap saved her after husband’s death
It was Emmerdale boss Jane Hudson. Susan previously worked with the producer on Casualty.
Susan explained to the Mirror: “She said to me: ‘Look, I’m going to cut to the chase, we’ve got a new character and there’s nobody I’d rather play it than you. I know you’d be perfect for it. Do you want to come and live in the village with us? Do you want to have a think about it?’
Emmerdale has given me a new lease of life and a new energy. It came along at the right point in my life.
“And I said: ‘No, I don’t need to, the answer is yes!’ And then she added: ‘Oh, and by the way, she’s a nurse.'”
In another coincidence, Susan thinks Malcolm had a hand in helping her from the afterlife. He himself appeared in the soap for over a year in the 1990s playing a police officer.
Susan added: “The last few years have not been easy. The man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with was no longer by my side. I thought we were going to get old and grey together. But Emmerdale has given me a new lease of life and a new energy. It came along at the right point in my life. Malcolm was always my biggest fan and always encouraged me and he would just be so pleased that I’ve ended up at Emmerdale.”
Read more: Emmerdale fans beg bosses to axe meddling Victoria as she’s branded ‘hypocrite’
The actress also revealed she has signed a new contract. It will keep her in the village for at least another year.
Good news for fans who are loving her character Wendy’s affair with Dr Liam in the show. Susan also admitted how she turned down an intimacy coordinator for their racy scenes.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!