'Emmerdale' Anderson: "I'm obsessed with watching people give birth"

Published Jun 9 2012, 19:40 BST  |  By Paul Martinovic

Pregnant Emmerdale star Natalie Anderson has spoken of her obsession with maternity ward reality show One Born Every Minute.

The actress, who plays the feisty Alicia Gallagher on the soap and announced in March that she is expecting a son, told the Daily Mirror that she watches the Channel 4 documentary series in order to relax.



She claims: "At night if I'm getting a bit anxious, [my husband'll] say, 'Go and have a bath... and get your iPad and watch One Born Every Minute and you'll be fine'.

"I'm obsessed with it, because I want to prepare myself. It does scare me a bit, but it doesn't put me off childbirth.

"If anything, it's done me the world of good and made me more empowered. I'm actually really looking forward to having the baby now."

Pregnancy will mean the 30-year-old actress will be written out of Emmerdale for up to a year, with viewers set to see her leave the soap in a cliffhanger next month.

A recent episode saw Alicia lose her temper and punch Val Pollard in the face, resulting in her being taken away by police.

However, due to a previous assault conviction, there is the possibility she could face jail time, something that could have dire repercussions for her relationships with her son and best friend David.