Hollyoaks’ Jennifer Metcalfe Reveals Stillbirth Storyline ‘Made Her Cry For The First Time In Two Years’

'The emotion was already in the scripts, I just needed to bring those words to life.'
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Jennifer Metcalfe has starred in ‘Hollyoaks’ for an impressive 10 years, and the actress has now revealed which of her character’s storylines hit her like no other.

Last year, we saw Mercedes McQueen’s baby was stillborn and speaking on AOL Build, Jennifer opened up about how she reacted when reading the scripts for the first time.

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Jennifer appeared on the show with her co-stars Anna Passey and Jamie Lomas
Eamonn M. McCormack via Getty Images

“You work with charities and they help you as much as they can to make it real, but half of it, you are second guessing,” she admitted. 

“The writer who wrote my stillbirth storyline had been through a similar experience herself, so I read all five episodes together, sat on my couch. 

“I hadn’t cried in two years, and cut to two hours later, I’m a blubbing mess. 

“I got a lump in my throat and thought, ‘oh, I’m not crying am I?’

“Next minute, I’m in floods of tears. It was so touching and so real. The emotion was already there, I just needed to take the words and bring it to life a little bit.”

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Mercedes' brother John Paul McQueen was by her side in the hospital scenes
Lime Pictures

Jennifer won huge praise from fans and critics following the storyline, which saw her character lose the baby she was expecting with Joe Roscoe. 

The actress appeared on AOL Build with Jamie Lomas and Anna Passey, ahead of the soap’s much-hyped Halloween Spooktacular episode.

The trio are part of a huge series of (top secret) stunts that are included in the show, and Jennifer also opened up about the one thing that caused problems during filming.

'Hollyoaks': Where Are They Now?
Ricky Whittle(01 of20)
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Played: Calvin Valentine (2006-2011)Since his character was shot by Teresa McQueen in 2011, Ricky has had a few parts here and there, including a role in US TV series 'The 100' and a guest appearance in 'NCIS'. (credit:Eamonn and James Clarke/EMPICS Entertainment)
Jodi Albert(02 of20)
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Played: Debbie Dean (2002-2006)Jodi reunited with her former Girl Thing bandmates in the most recent series of 'The Big Reunion'.In 2009, she married Westlife's Kian Egan and the couple have one son, Koa, who was born in 2011. (credit:PA/EMPICS Entertainment)
Jamie Lomas(03 of20)
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Played: Warren Fox (2006-2011)After Warren was killed off during a nightclub fire, Jamie went on to play Jake in 'EastEnders', who is currently in jail for his suspected role in Lucy Beale's murder. (credit:PA)
Emma Rigby(04 of20)
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Hannah Ashworth (2007-2010)Emma wowed TV fans as Hannah Ashworth and she's continued to be successful since swapping 'Hollyoaks' for Hollywood. In 2013, Emma began starring as the lead character in the US drama 'Once Upon A Time In Wonderland'. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Warren Brown(05 of20)
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Played: Andy Holt (2005-2006)Warren starred as Idris Elba's right-hand man Justin Ripley in 'Luther' before accepting a role in TV series 'By Any Means'. (credit:PA)
Roxanne McKee(06 of20)
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Played: Louise Summers (2005-2008)After a few years of bit parts including roles in 'EastEnders' spin-off 'E20' and 'Inspector Lewis', Roxanne landed the role of Doreah in HBO's hit fantasy drama 'Game Of Thrones'. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Gary Lucy(07 of20)
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Played: Luke Morgan (1999-2002)Gary is another 'Hollyoaks' star who went on to star 'EastEnders', joining as Danny Pennant in 2012 after a stint on 'The Bill' and two years as Kyle Pascoe in 'Footballer's Wives'. (credit:PA)
Zoe Lister(08 of20)
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Played: Zoe Carpenter (2006-2010)Zoe's role in 'Hollyoaks' was her first professional role and since then, she hasn't worked on any other long-term TV projects. Instead, Zoe has become one half of comedy duo 'Vicious Kitty'. Alongside her former co-star Lena Kaur, Zoe has performed live shows in a number of venues in the UK. (credit:Getty Images)
Will Mellor(09 of20)
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Played: Jambo Bolton (1995-1998, 2004)Will Mellor's TV career has seen him star in plenty of hit TV shows, including 'Broadchurch' and most famously, 'Two Pints Of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps'.In his six year break from 'Hollyoaks', Will put in brief appearances on 'Where The Heart Is' and 'Casualty'. (credit:PA)
Jeremy Edwards (10 of20)
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Played: Kurt Benson (1995-1999)Jeremy reprised his role as Kurt in 'Hollyoaks Later' in 2013, however nowadays he's more well-known for his four year stint on 'Holby City'. (credit:PA/EMPICS Entertainment)
Nathalie Emmanuel(11 of20)
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Played: Sasha Valentine (2007-2010)Since leaving the show, Nathalie has gone on to star in 'Game Of Thrones' as Missandei. She's currently filming 'Fast & Furious 7' alongside Vin Diesel and Jason Statham. (credit:Getty Images)
Paul Danan(12 of20)
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Starred As: Sol Patrick (1997-2001)Paul's career has hardly gone from strength-to-strength since his time on 'Hollyoaks' and his most notable TV appearance since is his time on 'Celebrity Love Island'. (credit:PA)
Leah Hackett(13 of20)
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Played: Tina McQueen (2006-2009)After three years as the most timid McQueen sister, Leah departed the soap and now owns a clothing boutique with her former co-star Claire Cooper. Leah also appears as a police officer in 'Coronation Street'. (credit:Getty Images)
Carly Stenson(14 of20)
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Played: Stephanie Cunningham (2000-2011)Nowadays, you're more likely to see Carly treading the boards than on TV. Her recent theatre roles include Princess Fiona in 'Shrek: The Musical' and The Lady Of The Lake in 'Spamalot'. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Barry Sloane(15 of20)
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Played: Niall Rafferty (2007-2008)Since leaving the village, Barry has made a number of brief appearances, starring as a poacher in Hollywood blockbuster 'Noah' and as Aidan Mathis in TV series 'Revenge'. (credit:Getty Images)
Hannah Tointon(16 of20)
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Played: Katy Fox (2007-2008)Hannah went on to play Simon's girlfriend Tara Brown in 'The Inbetweeners' and will star in the upcoming series of 'Mr Selfridge' alongside her sister Kara. (credit:Ian West/PA Archive/Press Association Images)
Nico Mirallegro(17 of20)
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Played: Barry 'Newt' Newton (2007-2010)After three years as troubled teen Newt, Nico left the soap and now stars as Finn in 'My Mad Fat Diary'. In January 2014, he starred on the West End stage in 'The Pass' alongside Russell Tovey. (credit:PA)
Kerrie Taylor(18 of20)
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Played: Lucy Benson (1995-1998)After leaving the soap, Kerrie landed a number of other TV roles, starring in 'Where The Heart Is', 'Holby City' and 'Doctors'. (credit:PA)
Anthony Quinlan(19 of20)
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Starred As: Gilly Roach (2005-2011)In 2013, Anthony joined the cast of 'Emmerdale' as Peter Barton. (credit:PA)
Loui Batley(20 of20)
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Played: Sarah Barnes (2005-2009)Loui has tried her hand at a few different things since leaving the show, purchasing a pub with her husband in Earls Court Road and starting a singing and acting school.Loui also sings in the band Verity And Violet. (credit:PA)