'Emmerdale' star signs new contract

Roxanne Pallett has signed a new contract to stay at Emmerdale for another year.

The actress, who plays Jo Stiles in the ITV soap, agreed a deal following weeks of talks after bosses feared she would take a break like co-star Adele Silva.

The 25-year-old said she is looking forward to the high-profile plots in the pipeline for her character, telling the Daily Star: “Emmerdale is the best job in the world. I don’t ever need to set my alarm clock in the morning because I can’t wait to get to work.

“I have been so thankful for the storylines I have been given over the past 12 months. And things are going to get even better in 2008. I am so excited about what’s in store for Jo.”

She revealed that the role always keeps her guessing, saying: "We have seen Jo change from this flirty minx to a marriage wrecker and there’s still more layers to explore. I never stop trying to evolve her character.

“When I am in bars I always watch people and use that as research. I know Jo inside out. I have been lucky that the writers have included me in her progression."

Hinting at the dramatic storylines to come, she added: “But what’s coming up shocked even me. I would put boundaries on her but the writers seem to break them all the time. But it works.

"I had butterflies reading through the next batch of scripts and I can’t wait to share it with the fans.”