“Some people are heartbroken that Mary’s happiness was snatched away from her,” says Louise Jameson, as she reveals what kind of reaction her character gets from Emmerdale fans.
“Others are pleased she had a drink thrown over her when Vanessa found out she kissed Suzy, and think it was about time Mary got her comeuppance! You’re either for or against her.”
Inside Soap is definitely in the ‘for’ camp when it comes to the marvellous Mary Goskirk. Rhona’s charismatic, chaotic mum was on the verge of finding love before Suzy perished in the limo crash, and her forbidden feelings for her friend’s partner have caused a scandal since being exposed.
Where does Mary go from here? Over to TV legend Louise…
Hi, Louise! Mary’s been through the mill, hasn’t she?
“She has, but I’ve loved this storyline. It’s given her an inner life. It’s wonderful when the audience are in possession of the same secret that the character is and nobody else knows.
“Mary kept so much to herself and held her emotions back – a lot of it was told in close-up with no dialogue. Bravery is far more moving than somebody howling all the time. She only broke down when she was on her own, which I think really worked.”
How is Mary feeling since the revelations about her and Suzy?
“Very humiliated. She has lost the woman she loved, as well as one of her best friends, and is in danger of losing her daughter.
“While Mary is obviously gutted about hurting Vanessa, she’s more concerned about her relationship with Rhona, who is caught in the middle of all this. Realising Mary was in love with Suzy shifted Rhona’s perspective; she knows it was more than just a throwaway fling.”
Does Mary think Vanessa is being too unforgiving?
“No, she identifies with Vanessa’s grief and understands what she is going through. They should be comforting each other. It’s so sad.
“The complexity of the story has been beautifully crafted by the Emmerdale writers. I hope that they can be friends again. It would be nice to see them bury the hatchet in a moving and profound way.”
What’s Mary’s biggest regret in all of this?
“It would be a far simpler existence had Mary come out in her 30s rather than in her 70s – so her biggest regret is not admitting her true sexuality to herself and to the world decades ago.”
Is that why Mary seems to fall in love so quickly?
“She’s making up for lost time. I’m a year younger than Mary and can absolutely feel that clock ticking. If I’m lucky, I have another 20 Christmases or 20 summers. That’s not many, is it? So I’m grabbing life with both hands.
“Because Mary only admitted who she really is very recently, she’s doing that even more than me – though she may not have as clear a head as I have!”
