Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale's Priya Kotecha will struggle on her return to work next week, as she has an upsetting encounter with a client.
Priya (Fiona Wade) has been facing a very difficult time recently, having sustained scars on her back after being caught up in the dangerous maze fire in October. Her insecurities have also led to a relapse in her eating disorder, with Priya recently devastated to learn that by not eating properly, she could also be delaying the healing of her scars.
In scenes to air next week, Priya's brother Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) goes into Take A Vow and asks Leyla Cavanagh (Roxy Shahidi) if she can get Priya back working in the office, hoping that this will give Priya a boost.
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On her first day back at work, Priya is determined to get back into the swing of things but she struggles with the discomfort she is feeling from her burns. She is further stressed out when a forceful and unhappy client, Cassie, bursts into the office, apparently on the warpath.
Priya is on the ball and manages to field all of Cassie's questions smoothly, but her urge to scratch her scars soon gets the better of her.
When she leaves the salon, Priya overhears Cassie making light of her scratching and feels distressed and overwhelmed. Is Priya facing another setback in her recovery?
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Actress Fiona, who plays Priya, has praised the soap for revisiting Priya's eating disorder again, saying that her character's relapse following her fire trauma is "realistic".
"Priya is someone that is so conscious of how she looks, she spends all of her time being a perfectionist, has overcome the eating disorder but it's always there with her," she said. "She's not in control of anything anymore and that's how it all starts – control and perfectionism.
"It makes sense that the writers have brought it back, so it kind of works alongside getting through what's happened to her."
Emmerdale airs these scenes in the week commencing Monday, January 10 on ITV.
Beat (www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk) is a charity which raises awareness and understanding of eating disorders, and supports those affected by them. Beat now has a one-to-one secure messaging service. Its phone helpline for those aged 18 and over is 0808 801 0677, and there's also a dedicated Youthline for those under 18 - 0808 801 0711.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
