Nathalie Emmanuel (Sasha Valentine, 'Hollyoaks')

[Perdita]

After fighting her way from the darkest depths of drug addiction, Hollyoaks' Sasha Valentine - played by 20-year-old Nathalie Emmanuel - now seems to have her life back on track. Since the beginning of the year, Sasha's eyes have been firmly focused on the village's resident bad boy Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas), and while wooing him she's forged a strong bond with his foster brother, Spencer (Darren Langford). Now with her ideal man within metaphorical reaching distance, Sasha ups her game over the next couple of weeks to the point where Warren can resist no longer. We chat to Nathalie to find out more.

What do you think attracts Sasha to Warren?
"I think that Sasha going for an older boyfriend helps her in her mission to feel more grown up. Also, what girl doesn't like a bad boy? Warren fits both requirements and she sees him as a challenge, too. Apart from that, she has quite an addictive personality, so when sets her eyes on someone or something, she'll go to any length to get it."

Even though she's 18, do you think Sasha's still quite immature?
"Yeah, she's very immature. I think it comes down to her general lack of judgement! Everyone's telling her how Warren's bad news and he even broke her brother Calvin's heart when he got with Louise, but she's still blinded by him."

She's been teasing Warren for weeks now. Why hasn't she made a move?
"As much as she acts confident around him, she's actually very unsure of herself and she doesn't really know what to do to get him. There's a turning point, though, when she works out how to get in there with him…"

How does Sasha celebrate her 18th birthday with her friends?
"Sasha and Josh's birthdays are a week apart, so they decide to have a joint birthday party at The Loft. Sasha wants to showcase some of her fashion designs on the night too, so she puts on a show to impress Warren."

Does the show go to plan?
"No, Sasha realises that she's a model down and Amy suggests that she should call Sarah. Obviously, though, because of Warren and Sarah's history, she's reluctant to. When Sasha gets teased for being jealous, she calls her anyway but ends up regretting it because Warren still fancies her. Sasha doesn't let it go, though, because she lets Sarah go out on the catwalk with her dress caught in her knickers."

Sasha then turns her attentions to Rhys, doesn't she?
"Yeah, she's clutching at straws at this point. Rhys is the first person she sees and ends up snogging him in Warren's office in the hope of getting caught by him. Warren finds them, but he's not impressed by her tactics in the slightest."

She finally gets her man by the end of the week, though…
"Sasha starts to realise that as much as she's chasing Warren, he's intrigued by her, too. It was always going to be the case that Warren would get to a point where he couldn't resist her anymore because she's literally been throwing herself at him. The day after the party, Sasha goes to pick up her things from The Loft and she ends up having a laugh with Spencer. Warren finds it quite endearing and it's at that point Sasha realises that making Warren laugh and smile is the key to unlocking him."

Is Sasha oblivious to Calvin and Warren's underhand friendship?
"Yeah, definitely. She thinks that they're genuine friends. Calvin told Sasha about 'murdering' Nige, but she doesn't know that he's still alive, unlike her brother. Sasha really doesn't realise why Calvin's so against her being interested in Warren."

Will Sasha be a catalyst in the big Calvin/Warren reveal?
"You would hope so, wouldn't you?! Sasha's that besotted with Warren that she'll believe everything that he tells her."

[Perdita]

Hollyoaks' Sasha on Spencer, drugs and Fletch
Tuesday, March 3 2009, 06:00 GMT

By Kris Green, Soaps Editor

With her brother Calvin (Ricky Whittle) being involved in covert underworld operations for Warren (Jamie Lomas), Sasha (Nathalie Emmanuel) continues to pursue The Loft owner, completely unaware of his dangerous disposition.

In a couple of weeks, though, temptation becomes too much for killer Warren as he and Sasha embark on an ill-fated relationship. What would Calvin say?

Click here to see the main part of the interview, but read on if you want to hear more from Nathalie on Spencer, Sasha's drug plot and a potential return for Fletch...

You have a great on-screen relationship with Spencer - what's it been like working with Darren Langford, who plays him?
"Brilliant. I love him to bits. He's so much fun and a lovely guy. He's really captured the character of Spencer amazingly in that he's not made out to be child-like. And even though Spencer has the mental age of a child, he still comes across like a 24-year-old guy."

Were you proud to have taken part in such a hard-hitting storyline as Sasha's recent drug addiction?
"Yeah, I really am. The whole heroin issue is still quite a taboo subject. The number of people that are on drugs is a lot greater than I think everyone knows. The number of young kids on heroin is shocking but there's not much about the dangers of the drug in the media. So yeah, I'm really pleased with the storyline. It just showed that it can happen to anyone."

Do you think Fletch will ever return?
"I don't know. I'd like him to because Sam [Darbyshire] is one of my buddies! It'd be interesting if he did return to find out what's happened to him. Although when he left, he didn't have anyone - he even mugged Sasha when he left!"

How long do you see yourself staying with Hollyoaks?
"I'm one of those people who'll only stay in a job for as long as it challenges me for. I don't see the point in staying in a job if you're not challenged or you're unhappy with it. I'm still facing new challenges every day and I'm really enjoying being here. Obviously there's a big, wide world out there and I want to see all of it, so there's going to come a time where I'm going to venture off, but when that will be, I don't know."

[tammyy2j]

I really dont like Sasha Valentine or her family

Her and Warren make a terrible couple