Emmerdale star Fiona Wade: 'Priya wants to hurt David'
By Daniel Kilkelly
© ITV
Fiona Wade as Priya Sharma
Emmerdale's Priya Sharma considers cutting David Metcalfe out of their unborn child's life next week after he rejects her once again.
Priya is hopeful of winning back David when they attend their first baby scan together, but when she makes a move on him, he breaks the news that he's marrying Alicia Harding at Christmas…
Here, Fiona Wade - who plays Priya - reveals how her character reacts to the bombshell.
How does Priya feel when she sees her baby on the scan for the first time with David there?
"Priya is really excited. I think at this point, she feels the control is slightly back in her corner. She's still in love with David and deep down she thinks that, as she's having his baby, it's something Alicia can't give him. Priya does seem a little bit confident that this could sway him a little bit. Also it's very nice because they go to the scan together. I'm not so sure Priya is excited about the baby - I think she's more concentrated on her and David actually."
What makes Priya try to kiss David?
"It's just that she gets herself back into that state where she just thinks 'my goodness' - this is exactly how she wanted it to be. David is the man she loves, she's having his baby, and he's totally engrossed in looking at the baby scan. I think she just gets things mixed up and hopes he's going to realise that it's her that he loves, not Alicia."
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David rejects Priya.
David actually rejects Priya and drops the bombshell that he's marrying Alicia at Christmas. How does Priya react?
"I think it's hugely devastating for Priya. When she's at the scan, she's probably the most confident she's been in a few weeks since the break-up. However, then this news about them getting married absolutely crushes her and I think it really is the start of her real pain actually - it's just the worst thing she could have ever imagined.
"It's not just the rejection, it's just all so soon - one minutes she's supposed to be marrying David and the next he's broken the news that he's getting married. It's probably the worst thing she could ever have imagined."
Afterwards, does Priya want to cut David out of their baby's life?
"I think again it's a control thing. For Priya at the moment, the baby is really the only thing she's got to have in terms of control. She's going to use that against David, as she knows he wants the baby. David wants both Alicia and the baby, but Priya says that he can't have both and she will use that against him. It's not because she's being cruel, I think it's just because she has got nothing else to hurt him with."
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David tells Priya he is marrying Alicia.
Bernice also ends up announcing David's engagement at the pub, doesn't she?
"Yes, Priya walks into The Woolpack and she just hears Bernice announce it massively to the whole pub. Everyone is looking at Alicia's engagement ring and it just crushes Priya. It's a real vulnerable moment for her. As it's not anything manipulative, I think the viewers will genuinely see her hurt, her pain and just how alone she actually is. She's carrying David's child, she's in love with him and he's there happily getting married to Alicia - it's just absolutely crushing her right now."
What happens when Jacob learns that Priya is pregnant?
"Jacob reacts badly because he just suddenly thinks, 'Well you're going to want David back'. He just suddenly turns on Priya. She'd wanted to keep the pregnancy quiet, as she doesn't really know what she's doing in her head with everything. Everything in Priya's world is crashing and falling down around her, so she really doesn't have anyone at the moment."
So how does Priya feel when the news of her pregnancy spreads around the village?
"I think she's embarrassed, because Betty overhears and it kind of goes from there, really! When news reaches Betty, I think the whole village knows! Priya had probably just wanted to keep a bit quiet for a while so she could keep her head up high, as it just feels like everything is against her."
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Priya and Jacob
Dom tells Priya that he knew about the engagement before her. Does Priya get upset that she's one of the last to know?
"Yeah she does. It's gutting to hear that someone you love is getting married, but the fact that everyone else knows and also that he's been planning it for weeks makes it even worse. Priya was still in her head going, 'Oh maybe he's going to change his mind, he's going to come to the scan and it's going to be fine'. Priya is just devastated."
Do you think Priya can ever accept David's new relationship?
"I don't know - this is soapland so it's never going to be uncomplicated. I think now it's hard because David isn't ever going to be just out of Priya's life now - he's part of her life and she's having his baby. There are a lot of decisions that Priya is going to have to come up with, but I just know that there's a lot of twists and turns. Everything is not going to be smooth running and I think for Alicia and David now everything has changed."
Is Priya feeling a maternal pull yet?
"I think a bit later on we'll see that she definitely cares. She's got a big heart and she knows what it is to be part of a family - she loves her little nieces in the show and she loves her family so she understands, but she's still a young girl that's had her heart broken and been left like this. I'm not sure whether she's really got her head round it yet."
Will Priya continue to use the baby to punish David?
"Well the thing with Priya is that you never know what she's going to do. If she has to, for her survival and for her to keep her dignity, I think she'll do whatever she can. It's never spiteful - it's coming from a place where she's trying to keep her sanity, defend herself and keep something for herself, which is control. She's definitely not going to let people take that away from her, and I think her baby is the one thing she has. I think she'll do whatever she can."
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David and Priya
Now that David is engaged, does Priya have any regrets about deciding to keep the baby?
"I don't think so - I think she still knows that keeping the baby was the right thing to do. I know a lot of the decision was because of David, but she's still a young woman who knows her mind and I think if she didn't want it, she wouldn't have had it. I don't think she regrets it or anything, it's just a scary time for her."
Do you think there's anyone else in the village Priya could ever date?
"I'm not sure - I think at the moment she's just got a lot on her plate, but there's some other people there and there's always the Barton boys. I know she has a bit of a flirtation with one of them - I think it's going to be Pete, so you never know down the line. But it's going to have to take a guy who's really going to woo Priya and prove his feelings for her after everything she's been through.
"I can't think of anything worse than being jilted two days before your wedding, it's just awful. It's just that all the cards are against Priya right now, so we'll see. I hope she does find a love or a nice guy soon."
We've heard that you're now wearing a baby bump for the scenes you're filming. Is it annoying to wear?
"No, not at all! It's actually very tiny and very sweet and doesn't really show yet. Because I'm quite small they had to keep cutting it down. They had to keep making it smaller, because I'm really small! It doesn't really look like much at the moment."
Has the story made you broody?
"Not really no, because of the context of it. I wouldn't want to be in Priya's position - I don't think anyone would ever wish to be. As a girl, I think we're all broody - I love all the little babies that come in, that work on the show. I always stop and make sure I have a cuddle with them. I want a child of my own one day. I've got lots of cousins, but I can wait for that for a while."
Additional reporting by Anthony Ball.
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Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with extra episodes at 8pm on Thursdays.
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