Dales Sam: Show must go on

DEVASTATING NEWS BUT STAR REFUSED TO LET DOWN FANS

- by ED GLEAVE

SAMANTHA Giles is made of strong stuff. Last summer, the Emmerdale legend was devastated when her beloved mum Ann suffered a severe stroke.

What made it even tougher was that it happened just hours before she was due to go on stage.

The actress had just arrived in Shrewsbury and was gearing up for a matinee of comedy play The Syndicate alongside fellow soap stars Brooke Vincent and Gaynor Faye.

The timing couldn't have been worse. Samantha told the Daily Star Sunday: "I was half way through the tour when I got a call to say my mum had suffered a stroke.

"It was a brain haemorrhage and most people die when they have that.

"I found out on a Wednesday morning and we had two shows that day."

Amazingly, Samantha, who has been famed for playing feisty Bernice Blackstock on Emmerdale since the 90s, found the strength to go on stage.