Deena Payne: 'Emmerdale plot shocked me'

Emmerdale star Deena Payne has admitted that she was shocked when she learned that her character Viv Hope would split from husband Bob.

The couple's relationship hits the rocks in tonight's double bill of the rural soap after Viv discovers that Bob (Tony Audenshaw) slept with Genesis Walker (Sian Reese-Williams) last year.

Speaking to the Daily Record about the plot, Payne revealed: "I was shocked when they said they were going to split us up and I think the fans are going to be, too. They will be thinking they will get back together, but I don't think they will.

"I think fans will mourn the end of Viv and Bob. I certainly have. I went though a mournful patch but then I thought, 'Oh well, they might get me a hunky new man like George Clooney'."

The actress confessed that she "cried real tears" while filming some of the break-up scenes and felt that the couple had "a lot more" to offer as a duo. However, she is now feeling more optimistic over the story.

She explained: "Maybe a split energises both characters. And as long as they are living in the village, there is always going to be a thing between them, even if they have new partners. I think they are soulmates. Sometimes you can't get on with a soulmate. You have arguments."

In real life, Payne tied the knot with long-term partner Steve Grant earlier this year.