I felt beautiful which is all you want really

AFTER almost 20 years on Emmerdale, Isabel Hodgins is used to having all eyes upon her.

- JANINE YAQOOB

But the actor, who plays Victoria Sugden in the ITV soap, says being watched still makes her uncomfortable - even on her wedding day.

"I know I'm an actor but I don't like being the centre of attention," she admits. "A wedding's quite stressful so even before it, I was over it!" Isabel, 31, who joined the Emmerdale cast in 2006 when she was just 12, recently walked down the aisle with Adam Whitehead, who she says is both her soulmate and gym-mate.

But while she found the wedding preparation less than inspiring, the day itself was everything she hoped for.

"I was, like, 'We'll just go with the flow," she said. "It was perfect. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it and how full my heart was." Even Isabel's dress, which she had struggled to get excited about, delivered. Recalling the process of picking it out, she said: "I thought it would be more fun. The dresses were beautiful - but not on me.

"I quickly realised it needed to be plain, otherwise it's the dress wearing me, not me wearing the dress. I'm only 5ft 2in and I feel wedding dresses are made for tall ladies.

"And whenever I tried a veil, I felt like I was playing a bride, playing dress-up." But Isabel kept it simple, choosing a strapless dress with sweetheart neckline from Australian designer Sassi Holford.

She said: "I felt beautiful in it, which is all you want."