'Being IN LOVE is a wonderful thing'

Actor Emilia Fox on how she adores having a partner who can knit, cook and do DIY

- VICKI POWER

Silent Witness returns for an astonishing 27th series next week. Emilia Fox joined the drama in 2004 as Dr Nikki Alexander, the forensic expert with a keen eye for crime and a deft way with a scalpel, and the intervening two decades have not dimmed Emilia's enthusiasm for the job - she loves playing Nikki as much now as she did when she first appeared in the role.

'It is a privilege to do something for 20 years that you really love,' enthuses the 49-year-old actor. 'What's that phrase? "Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." 'I feel lucky that I've landed a part that I have loved playing for this long. Nikki has been an ally through all sorts of things that have happened in my life; she's been rock solid and the show has always been there. I feel very protective of it and massive thankfulness to the audience that they have wanted to watch Silent Witness for that long.' She loves interacting with fans on social media.

And what's particularly interesting is the way that Em a's and Nikki's love live have mirrored each other's.

After decades of failing to find love, Dr Nikki Alexander has finally given in to a relationship with her fellow forensic pathologist Jack Hodgson after they spent several series exchanging coy glances over the mortuary slab.