16 November 2023 , 17:34
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Kissing younger men for a living may not seem much of a hardship to many women in their 40s and 50s, but Emmerdale star Samantha Giles admits to being “mortified” by some of her raunchier scenes.
And now, as she leaves the soap after 25 years playing ditzy Bernice Blackstock, the on-screen smooching is one thing Samantha will definitely not miss. The married mum of two says: “I don’t enjoy those intimate scenes – it’s very uncomfortable. When you get into your 40s and 50s, you don’t really want to be kissing other people.
Since Bernice arrived in Emmerdale in 1998, viewers have enjoyed seeing her in a series of drunken escapades and raunchy romances, enjoying passionate flings with toyboy Andy Sugden and doctor Liam Cavanagh to name but two. And while the 52-year-old actress now admits that filming some of those storylines left her “mortified”, she knew she had to, erm, just knuckle down to it.
Seducing Andy SugdenShe says: “Bernice is a passionate woman, so I have to throw myself into it wholeheartedly – I just have to take the plunge and brazen it out.” Samantha remembers one scene where she had to throw herself at Kelvin Fletcher, who plays Andy Sugden and is 13 years her junior.
She says: “I was embarrassed because he was younger than me, so I felt a bit awkward. I thought, Oh God, how awful for him, having to kiss a woman who is probably 15 years older than him. Before we filmed it, I said to him, ‘Kelvin, just so you know, I’m really going to go for it, OK?’ Because I didn’t want him to think that any part of it was me.
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“His face afterwards was a picture, because he wasn’t expecting it, but that was good as it made it believable, because the character was a bit taken aback, so it worked.” Samantha is also happy to wave goodbye to some of Bernice’s more racy outfits.
She says: “I remember having to pour spaghetti over Katie Sugden’s head and they had Bernice wearing a saucy basque with stockings. I said to the wardrobe department that I didn’t feel comfortable because I was really self-conscious about the tops of my thighs. I got them to make a lacy tutu to cover the tops of my legs so I didn’t feel quite so exposed, but it was still very embarrassing.
“I certainly won’t miss the costumes. I try to watch my weight, but everything she wears is very clingy, so I’m always thinking, ‘Oh God, does my bum look big in this?’ or ‘Have I eaten too much today?’.” Samantha’s final scenes will be shown tonight, when B&B owner Bernice goes on the run after it is discovered she has lost control of her finances, taken out a loan and stitched up her sister Nicola.
Samantha says: “Bernice has got carried away with wanting the B&B to be absolutely perfect and is now facing up to the reality of paying back the bills. She’s been buying high-end scented candles, expensive linen, posh towels – all the best. I don’t think it will be easily forgiven.”
Tipping pasta over Katie's headIt isn’t the first time that Samantha has left Emmerdale. She has had four stints on the show and three exits since her arrival in 1998 She says: “I’ve been like a boomerang, there and back, there and back. But to be honest, when I returned in 2021, I was never intending to be back for very long. It’s been a really lovely couple of years, but I feel right about leaving this time.
"When I left in 2019 it was a much harder decision and maybe a part of me wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision. This time I feel more philosophical and laid back about it. I don’t feel the desperate fear that I felt last time.” She wants to spread her wings with other acting roles and to pursue her writing career.
As a children’s author she has had two books published – Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill and the follow up, Rosemary and the Book of the Dead. She says: “I’ve just turned my first book into a TV series. I’ve written the first episode and a synopsis, so I’m sending that round at the moment.
“And I always write myself a part – you have to hustle a bit and try to create your own work. I’m also just about to start researching an idea for my first adult book. I’m taking part in my first ever panto, playing the wicked stepmother in Cinderella at Bradford Alhambra Theatre this Christmas, and I would like to do some more theatre and also be in a horror film.”
A white witch, her spell business is also going from strength to strength. She grew up with an interest in alternative therapies and nature and learned how to do Tarot readings in her 20s before becoming interested in pagan religion Wicca 15 years ago.
Smashing up the village (Andrew Boyce)She says: “I’m a hedge witch, which means I work alone rather than in a coven. I believe you can harness energies and nature and crystals to try to help manifest things you want in life. I want to spread the word and make people realise that it’s not about the occult, the devil and dark things, it’s about light, positivity and joy.”
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Samantha lives in Liverpool with her husband Sean, and their daughters, Eve, 15 and Olivia, 11. She knows some people will be baffled by her decision to leave behind a character she describes as “a gift”. Samantha says: “Emmerdale has been amazing to me.
"It’s paid a lot of bills, given me a routine and I love the other actors, so from that point of view it’s difficult to go. But I have never been somebody to just do the safe route – I want to challenge myself. I’ll really miss Bernice and she’ll always be a part of me. I may never play a character as good. But who knows, I might?”
Bernice's best bits
Seducing Andy Sugden, 2014
Samantha recalls: “Bernice and Andy were caught snogging in the salon. He was wearing white boxer shorts and there were fake tan hand prints on his backside, so I had to dip my hands in the fake tan and put my hands on his bottom. I’m sure I was the envy of many women.”
Bernice and Kerry crash tandem bike, 2015
The actress adds: “We didn’t do much of this stunt ourselves. When we had to crash into a wall, we left that to the stunt doubles. But it looked quite realistic.”
Bernice in bike crashSmashing up the village in a digger, 2016
When Bernice discovered her husband Lawrence was gay, she drunkenly climbed into a digger and went on the rampage. Samantha says: “I did it all myself. I had to drive it and press all the buttons.”
Being slapped by Diane Sugden, 2014
Samantha says: “Liz Estensen [Diane] did slap me. Liz was mortified but I told her to go for it.”