‘Emmerdale’: Fiona Wade met with burns survivors for Priya's most challenging story yet

Emmerdale’s Fiona Wade says her new burns storyline is her 'most challenging' plot yet.

Wade's character Priya Sharma sustained injuries in a fire during an episode that aired in October.

Speaking at a recent press event, she said: “This is by far the most challenging of all my storylines since being in Emmerdale.”

Wade did extensive research to ensure she was able to portray Priya’s story accurately. “I had initial chats with the wonderful charity Changing Faces and with Catrin Pugh, a wonderful burns survivor, and we talked at length," she adds.

Read more: Next week's Emmerdale spoilers

“I went back and we had more conversations just between us. She really helped me understand emotionally the stages that she went through, and that for me was really important as an actress to have with me.

“I spoke to a wonderful nurse as well who works with burns survivors directly. So I got all these stories and case studies, and for me I just had to kind of plot my journey with it.”

“I think it’s really important to have this story out there,” Wade concludes. “And for people to be more aware of what burns survivors go through.”

The actor also explained that she felt a certain degree of responsibility bringing Priya’s journey to life.

“When the writers are willing to give you something really meaty and a good storyline, it’s wonderful and great to know they trust you with something this big," Wade said. "You then feel the responsibility of wanting to do it justice and to honour it in the way it should be.”

Priya continues to face a tough time this December, as she finds out her injuries aren’t healing properly due to a relapse of her eating disorder.

She struggles to join in with the Christmas celebrations, which leads her to leave daughter Amba behind at a carol concert.

“She’s very numb at the moment to everything, but she also knows she hasn’t been eating. So she knows deep down that will have a huge effect on her injuries and her healing,” Wade reveals.

“Up till now she’s hidden herself away pretty much; hidden behind clothes, hidden away in her bedroom. But then it’s her daughter Amba that really wants her to be [at the concert].”

Sadly, the stress of the social occasion stops Priya in her tracks. “She’s not ready at all,” Wade explains. “And I think everywhere she goes it’s magnified to her; so the food stall, the cake stalls, Christmas things, people coming up to her, it’s all too much, like a blur.”

“She wants to reach out and be there for Amba but she’s so in her own head, and in her own pain and it all just gets too much. In the back of her head, because she’s seen her dad, I don’t think she thinks ‘I’ve left Amba on her own’.

“In her mind she’s seen Amba run off with Rishi and think that everything’s okay and she’s going off to see Father Christmas. And it’s only when Ellis comes to the door with Amba that she sort of realises ‘oh my goodness’ and she has to snap out of herself for a second.”

Viewers will see these Emmerdale scenes play out later this month.

Watch: Priya gets worrying news on Emmerdale