Leyla's sister Alicia Harding

[Perdita]

Natalie Anderson has revealed that she is an Emmerdale "geek".

The former Wickedwarning to her sister Leyla Harding (Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi).

Anderson told Digital Spy: "I'm a huge Emmerdale fan! I'm a bit of an Emmerdale geek.

"Being a Yorkshire girl, it's always been my soap of choice because it's the one that I can relate to more than anything else. My very first primary school was just down the road from a farm - at the bottom of the farm was our school."

She added: "So for me, the role just made sense because I really related to it. I've always been a fan."

Anderson admitted that she is unsure what the ITV soap's writers have planned for Alicia.

"I'm interested myself to see what the writers are going to do with the character," she said. "I think I'd definitely like to see her ruffle a few more feathers in the village."

[tammyy2j]

I thunk Leyla had an affair with Alicia's husband in the past or he was Leyla's boyfriend first

[walsh2509]

Seen that right off at the funeral and when she went to the house, then told David he was a sales rep. When all she need do was to say to David he was part of the family.

[Ruffed_lemur]

Seen that right off at the funeral and when she went to the house, then told David he was a sales rep. When all she need do was to say to David he was part of the family.

Yes, people in soaps lie as if it's nothing. What's the big deal about him being related? Maybe she doesn't want to answer David's questions about her family? Probably the " sales rep " will be back again soon and we'll find out more.

[amazinggrace]

I think the kid is Leyla's and she had it with her sisters husband then handed it over to her sis.

[Perdita]

Natalie Anderson has insisted that she is nothing like her Emmerdale character Alicia Gallagher.

The former West End actress joined the ITV soap last month as Lleya Harding's (Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi) sister.

"She's brazen and quite spiteful and I'm really not like that at all, I hope," she told The Mirror. "She says what she thinks and there are no airs and graces about her whatsoever.

"But while she comes across as bold as brass with a hard exterior, there is a softer side to her. She's a devoted mum and a loving wife with very strong morals."

Anderson also revealed her husband's reaction to a photograph of her in character.

"She's brassy and trashy and wears miniskirts, low-cut tops, padded bras, hair extensions and lots of fake tan and massive jewellery," she said. "I showed James the first picture of myself done up as Alicia and he said he didn't quite know whether he fancied her or wanted to give her a good wash.

"Make of that what you will."

[Perdita]

Emmerdale's Natalie Anderson is pleased viewers have finally warmed to her character Alicia Gallagher.

The former star of West End show Wicked joined the soap as brassy barmaid Alicia in May last year, but she revealed that her flirtatious nature and difficult relationship with sister Leyla meant some Dales fans didn't like her.

Natalie told Inside Soap magazine: "I definitely felt the public attitude towards Alicia changing - when she first arrived in the village people would come up to me and say 'You're so nasty! Why are you so horrible to your sister?'"

She went on: "After we saw how vulnerable she can be, though, people are now telling me, 'I love her! She makes me laugh! She says the cheekiest things! And she's a great barmaid.'

"Viewers have warmed to her, so I'm really pleased."

And while the 29-year-old actress-and-singer is returning to the recording studio soon to work on a follow-up to her debut album Return To Me which she released in 2008, she has no plans to leave Emmerdale any time soon.

She said: "I plan to stay. I'm a huge fan of the show, so I'm thrilled to be here."

PA

I am not that fond of her yet

[Perdita]

Emmerdale's Alicia Gallagher resorts to desperate measures in next week's episodes as her financial troubles escalate. With Jacob's birthday fast approaching and Justin still spoiling his son as much as possible, Alicia is saddened by the knowledge that she won't be able to give the youngster a perfect present. Later, when Leyla starts putting pressure on Alicia about an overdue rent payment, the village barmaid panics and decides to raise funds by raiding her sister's shop for stock, secretly loading cigarettes and booze into a hold-all. Here, actress Natalie Anderson - who plays Alicia - chats to Digital Spy about her character's shock decision.

As Justin has been spoiling Jacob so much recently, do you think he's trying to upstage Alicia?
"I think there is maybe a little bit of that, but not too much. I don't think he's being really vindictive. He obviously loves Jacob just as much as Alicia does but he's not getting to see him as much, as she pretty much has him full-time. I think Justin is probably feeling a bit scared, so he's showering him with gifts to make Jacob love him. But, at the same time, I do think there is a little bit of him that knows Alicia doesn't have as much money as him and that he can buy Jacob bigger and better."

What's going through Alicia's mind when she steals from Leyla's shop?
"When she goes into the shop, she's basically really, really desperate because she wants to buy Jacob a present that he really wants for his birthday and she wants to be the best mum in the world. Because she isn't his biological mum, she's got that fear that he will one day grow up and leave her, so she's trying to overcompensate for that. So it's pure desperation when she goes into the shop and does what she does, rather than being malicious or vindictive."

Does she regret it afterwards?
"You'll see that she's very regretful and you'll see that it's not been easy for her to do this. She feels very, very guilty. But her attitude is also that desperate times call for desperate measures, she has to get on with this and it's been for a good cause."

Why do you think Alicia hasn't done the honest thing and asked Leyla for some financial help?
"I think Alicia thinks that would be admitting failure on her part and that Leyla might want to take Jacob back. She's frightened that Leyla might say, 'Well obviously you can't do this - you're not good enough to be his mum'. So that's Alicia's biggest fear. Also, Alicia is a really proud person and that's why she doesn't go to anybody else for help either. It's silly on her part, though, as pride comes before a fall at the end of the day - and that's what happens here. Her own pride gets her into trouble."

Does Leyla have any suspicions when she notices the stock is missing?
"I think she trusts her sister too much, so at this point she has no suspicions whatsoever that it's Alicia."

Often it's been Leyla deceiving Alicia or keeping secrets, rather than the other way around, so has it been nice to explore this different dynamic?
"Yeah, the shoe's on the other foot! I think it joins them as sisters and you can see that they're both quite secretive. They've got this thing inside of them where they're quite proud, they keep secrets and they don't like to speak up! I think it unites them as sisters and shows that they've come from the same tree!"

On a lighter note, are you enjoying the Alicia and Andy relationship?
"Oh yeah, that's lovely! Kelvin Fletcher is great to work with and it's been fun to show Alicia on that journey - having her really interested in somebody after being married to Justin. It's been a lovely journey for both of them, really, and definitely fun to play."

Not long after stealing from Leyla, Alicia spends the night with Andy for the first time. Is she confident that it's the right moment?
"To be honest, I think part of the reason for that is because she feels so bad about what she's done and she feels really lonely. She just wants someone to look after her. She's been running around doing all of these bad things, trying to provide for Jake, and I think that she just wants to be with someone who's going to be nice to her. But I think she is falling for him - she can see that he's a really good dad to Sarah, he's caring and he's affectionate. Yes, he has a past, but so has she. Them spending the night together might not necessarily be the right time, but it just happens."

What's the reaction been like from viewers since you first appeared on screen as Alicia?
"It's actually been really positive! Initially some people were saying they didn't like her because she was being horrible to Leyla, but since then people have warmed to her because I think she's quite humourous. So once the two sisters sorted out their problems, I think people could see that humour in Alicia and they actually quite like her now. I have people coming up to me on the street saying, 'Oh, Alicia's really funny!', which is lovely. It's been a lot more positive than I thought it was going to be."

What have been your favourite storylines so far?
"I loved it when Jake went missing. It sounds horrible, but what I mean by that is that I loved the drama of it and it was brilliant to get the chance to really work a lot with Rokhsaneh. Obviously I do work with her nearly every day, but we had so much material with that storyline, a brilliant director and Matthew Wolfenden was amazing. And little Joe-Warren, who plays Jake, was pushed just as much with all of the stuff that he had - he's such a wonderful child and I love him to pieces. So I loved that and I'm also really enjoying the Andy and Alicia storyline - I'm really looking forward to seeing where it's going to go. I'd like a wedding for sure! A big massive dress would be brilliant. But we'll have to wait and see - this is soap at the end of the day, and it can't always be happily ever after!"

Do you think Jacob's disappearance changed the viewers' perception of Alicia slightly?
"Yeah, I think when Jacob went missing and it was revealed that Justin is Jacob's real father, people saw how awful the news was for Alicia and they also saw how much she really, really loved her son when he went missing. For me to film that was agonising as I was upset the whole time!"

Do you prefer Alicia's nicer side or her outspoken and feisty moments?
"I love the fact that she can always go either way. There's scenes that I have that are funny and there are scenes where I'm having a go at someone, and I love that - she's never just one or the other. Depending on what script I'm doing, Alicia can be shouting one moment and then really funny the next. It's nice when you can have the comedy as well as the craziness and I like them both equally."

We've seen Alicia as a mum, sister, barmaid and now girlfriend. Are you glad to play a character with such a lot of scope and many different roles?
"I've always tried my best to play her that way - she can be quite fiery, she can be cheeky as the barmaid, she can be flirty, she can stand up for her son and stand up for herself. So there are a lot of sides to her and I don't think she can ever just be passed off as a bit of a bimbo or just gobby. I think Emmerdale have been lovely in allowing me to show that with the scripts that they've given me. In the six months that I've been there, I've been able to show how versatile she is."

Are you glad that Alicia is right at the heart of the village by working in The Woolpack?
"Yeah, it's been brilliant for me because I've really been able to integrate into the cast by working in The Woolpack - you get to see everybody because everybody has something to do in the pub. Also, I love working in the bar - I think I'm one of the only people who loves working in there, because I've always got a job to do and I'm quite good at pulling a pint as I worked in a bar years ago. It's great to feel part of the action in the pub."

We noticed some tension between Alicia and Debbie recently…
"Oh, that's good! Yes, Alicia and Debbie is quite interesting and that tension might come back. They're definitely both fiery women but they both come from a different school of thought - Alicia thinks one way and Debbie thinks another, and they clash in the middle. Whereas Alicia and Chas are more similar and that's why they clash, I think Alicia and Debbie have completely different ways of thinking - especially when it comes to parenting."

You released an album called Return To Me in 2008 and apparently you're working on some more music at the moment?
"Yes, I'm hoping to go into the studio at some point and do some more songs. I have got some stuff already, but it's going to be a while away because I've always said that Emmerdale is completely my priority and I'd need a more free schedule to do it. At the moment, Emmerdale is my focus and even if some music did get released, it would be done quite quietly and independently. But I'm still always writing and singing because it's something that's very much a part of me. Singing is something that I have to do every day and every weekend I'll have a big sing-out, just for me! So definitely watch this space."

Do you think you'd go for a different sound this time around?
"I think it'll be a bit different to the last album, but I'm not sure yet because the songs I've done so far are quite varied - there's some poppier songs and some of them are more gospel. That's another reason why it's going to take a while, because I want to decide what to do. I just love singing all different types of material, so at the moment it's trial and error."

Finally, you've said in the past that you were quite closely involved with Alicia's wardrobe and style choices. Do you still get that input now?
"Yes, that's definitely continuing! Obviously the summer's coming up soon, so we'll have to wait and see what little beauties she's going to be wearing then! I definitely have a nice say in what she wears and where we want to take her style-wise. It's been fun - the things that she wears make me laugh so much and I get so many comments about it on Twitter. People say things like, 'As if you wore that!' and also, 'Where did you get that from?' It's really flattering. Alicia's happy - she's a little style icon!"

[alan45]

Emmerdale star Natalie Anderson has revealed that she would love to film a soap wedding in the future.

The actress, who plays feisty Alicia Gallagher on the ITV1 drama, confirmed that she has high hopes for her character's current romance with Andy Sugden (Kelvin Fletcher).

Speaking in an interview with Digital Spy, Anderson explained: "I think she is falling for him - she can see that he's a really good dad to Sarah, he's caring and he's affectionate. Yes, he has a past, but so has she."

She continued: "I'm really looking forward to seeing where it's going to go. I'd like a wedding for sure! A big massive dress would be brilliant. But we'll have to wait and see - this is soap at the end of the day, and it can't always be happily ever after!"

Anderson also said that she has been glad to see Alicia find love again following her failed marriage.

She said: "Kelvin Fletcher is great to work with and it's been fun to show Alicia on that journey - having her really interested in somebody after being married to Justin. It's been a lovely journey for both of them, really, and definitely fun to play."

Alicia and Andy spend the night together for the first time in next week's episodes, shortly after the barmaid has betrayed sister Leyla by stealing from her shop.

[Perdita]

'Emmerdale's Alicia Gallagher could be left homeless after she confesses to stealing stock from her sister Leyla Harding's shop.

The shamed wannabe WAG, played by Natalie Anderson, is forced to admit that she's been selling stolen stock to a dodgy contact after Leyla (Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi) points the finger at teenage employee Amy Wyatt (Chelsea Halfpenny) in the ITV1 soap.

As Amy gets told off for thieving, Leyla's boyfriend David Metcalfe (Matthew Wolfenden) notices how guilty Alicia looks who eventually comes clean, saying she did it so she could buy gifts for her son Jacob, who is being spoiled by her ex Justin.

However, Leyla is unsympathetic and ignores her sister's pleas for forgiveness, telling her to pack her bags and get out of her house for good.

Alicia takes Jacob to stay with her boyfriend Andy Sugden (Kevin Fletcher) but is told in no uncertain terms by him that they are not welcome to stay on a permanent basis.

However, she refuses to heed his suggestion that she should go back and try asking Leyla for forgiveness again, leaving her and her son without a permanent home.

(C) BANG Media International