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Emma Rigby won Best Actress at the British Soap Awards.
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Meet TV's new teen queen
Helen Tither14/ 5/2008
THAT'S the best bit about TV awards ceremonies, don't you think - watching the nominees' faces as the winner's name is read out. All those well-rehearsed smiles when they don't win and magnanimous gestures to the lucky celebrity making their way on to the stage.
Or the mock-shock reaction if they do actually pick up a prize, only to pull a ready-made speech out of their bustier. Ah, TV gold.
But when Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby says she never expected to win the Best Actress gong at last week's British Soap Awards, something about her genuine surprise makes you believe her.
Softly-spoken, friendly, and charming, she's got a girl-next-door personality in a celebrity's body.
Yes, she certainly cut it in the style stakes on the red carpet (actually, for this ceremony they dyed it purple but we'll let that pass), in a figure-hugging Oscars-style white gown. But beneath that glamorous exterior, the quiet 18-year-old never thought she had a hope of walking away with one of the biggest prizes of the night.
"Big surprise"
"It was such a big surprise when they read my name out," she gasps. "Actually it was quite over-whelming, I was shaking all over. I nearly cried but I resisted. I don't even remember what I said.
"Being in Hollyoaks I know people used to see it as a silly teen thing, and don't take it very seriously. So it was good to be recognised at last. We got six awards overall, the most of any soap on the night.
"We do tackle really hard issues, and we have to do that at a 6.30pm time slot which can be really difficult.
"Although," she laughs. "We do always manage to squeeze some nudity in there, somehow!"
Beating off stiff competition from Coronation Street and EastEnders, which both boast much higher audience figures than the north west soap, was a massive milestone for Hollyoaks. But also for Emma, who is glad to be recognised for her acting skills after playing Hannah Ashworth for three years now.
Having taken up dancing at the tender age of four, she had her first weekend acting lessons at nine years old. However, she never went to a traditional drama school and reckons she has learnt everything she needs to know on the set of Hollyoaks.
Acting industry
"Nobody in my family has anything to do with the acting industry - mum works at a vending company in St Helens and dad works for BT," she says. "And I never went to drama school, I just went straight into Hollyoaks when I was doing my GCSEs.
"It was the best place for me though because I was acting every single day and I've learnt so much about everything."
Although, she admits guiltily, getting out of lessons to go to auditions before she landed her breakthrough role could sometimes prove tricky, with a few faked dental appointments here and there.
Putting her big break down to being in the right place at the right time, after having a few smaller roles in the likes of Brookside, she also says she owes a massive debt to her family. Mum Carole in particular, who put her all into helping Emma achieve her dream.
"I used to go dancing every night of the week, doing ballet and tap competitions all over the country," she recalls. "I've got my mum to thank, she does absolutely everything for me. She's taken me to competitions, done my hair and make-up, and even helped out with costumes.
"She was absolutely thrilled when I won the soap award."
Strong bond
It's this strong bond with her mum, dad Steven, and sister Charlotte (currently studying for a pharmacy degree at Manchester University) that means Emma still lives at home with her folks in St Helens.
Also, she grins, it's half way between work in Liverpool and her favourite haunts in Manchester - where she is regularly spotted partying and shopping in the city centre.
"I just love Manchester's shops," she says. "I got my soap awards dress from Harvey Nichols and I was straight back there when I won to get a few presents - including an absolutely gorgeous Marc Jacobs bag.
"I love shopping though, I'll buy anything and everything."
A regular on our Style party page, Emma did have to call a halt to her social life when filming her recent storylines, however. When her character Hannah developed an eating disorder, it meant long and extremely gruelling scenes for the young actress. But, she adds, she thinks it's the kind of subject the soap tackles so well.
"Tears"
"It really was quite a depressing storyline. I got very upset during filming, going into floods of tears the minute I got on set for some scenes. It was very draining, filming for 12 hours a day. I really had to keep well rested and not go out.
"But it was also a really challenging experience and worth doing. Being a young teenager in the soap industry I can see there's a lot of pressure about the way you look. You just look through a magazine and one week they are pointing out how `fat' people are - the next week they are saying people are too thin.
"There's so much pressure on young people to look a certain way. We did a lot of research into eating disorders before we started filming. And we met a rep from the eating disorders charity Beat to make sure we got the message right."
Off screen, however, Emma is a picture of health - thanks, she says, to her love of keeping fit. A keen squash player, she also loves dancing and hopes to follow in her old dance class mate Jennifer Elliston's footsteps one day by appearing in musical theatre. And, if it all gets too stressful, she can always take her frustration out in her other hobby - judo.
"Eating healthily and keeping active is really important," she says. "I love judo although I don't do it so much now. I suppose it's my feisty side.
"At work I'm quite shy actually, a lot of the rest of the cast are really outgoing. But what they don't know is I'm quite feisty off set - so they'd better watch out or I might judo kick them if they get out of line," she laughs.
Critics - be warned. This is one soap starlet heading straight for the top.
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