Amanda Donohoe dreams up 'Emmerdale' Natasha twist

Former Emmerdale star Amanda Donohoe has joked that her murderous character Natasha Wylde could have her jail sentence reduced on appeal if she ever decided to return to the soap.

Natasha was given a minimum prison term of 21 years in late 2010 as she was finally punished for killing her husband Mark.

Donohoe, speaking on This Morning, confessed today that she found her time at Emmerdale more enjoyable than she had ever anticipated.

"That's why I stayed an extra year - I wanted to see her through to the end," the actress explained. "I started to really quite like Natasha and I felt rather sorry for her - her wonderful life was completely destroyed by her lying husband!"

"[Leaving] was a hard decision and I miss those guys so much - they're such a lovely bunch of cast to work with," she continued.



When show hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby pointed out that Natasha could return in 20 years' time, Donohoe laughed: "Oh no, I think she's definitely going to have an appeal! The woman was bereft, for goodness sake! There'll be an appeal, she's got the money, she'll get the lawyer and it'll be a crime of passion - she wasn't well in the head, they'll reduce the sentence."

Donohoe added that "five to ten" years for manslaughter could be a more suitable punishment for Natasha.

Asked whether viewers really could see Natasha back in Emmerdale one day, she replied: "I don't know, you'll have to ask them about that!"

Donohoe is currently working on a touring production of the Noel Coward play Star Quality.

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