‘Emmerdale’ fans breathed a sigh of relief on Friday (28 July), when Pierce Harris was given a five-year sentence after being found guilty of rape and Rhona Goskirk actress Zoe Henry has now opened up about what will happen next.
Her character was pleased yet understandably stunned by the verdict, which came after a tense week in court and gruelling testimony.
Pierce’s imprisonment means Rhona can now focus on getting her life back on track and many fans are already wondering whether we could see her back together with Paddy Kirk in the future.
Actress Zoe has addressed this, stating: “I’d love to say yes [they’ll get together] because obviously I love working with Dominic but I think it would be unrealistic for our writers or storyliners to rush that because this is a very delicate situation and I imagine for Rhona to trust anybody again, even somebody she’s already trusted and loved.
“Don’t forget Paddy did betray her and broke her heart. She kind of roars at Paddy at some point and blames him for the whole thing, which is unfair.
“There’s been a catalogue of events over the past two years that have changed Rhona’s life and so she will move on and I’m sure she will find love again, I’d love to say it would be with Paddy, but I don’t know.
“What I do think is that whenever that happens, it will be quite a way down the line.”
Zoe previously opened up about how her character’s reaction will not be an entirely joyous one.
“There’s a numbness and an emptiness that overwhelms Rhona at that point [when they’re all back in the village with loved ones],” she explained. “It’s kind of not the reaction that she would have imagined she would have.
“This has been so enormous and so exhausting that what comes is tears and overwhelming sadness because, at the end of the day, she did love Pierce and she’s now left in the situation where she’s not the woman that she was and she’s married to a man who abused her. Her life is in tatters.”
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