Zoe Lucker grateful for 'HolbyBlue' role

Zoe Lucker has revealed that her role in HolbyBlue has helped her to reduce the risk of being typecast.

After completing work as superbitch Tanya Turner on Footballers' Wives, the actress feared that playing such a memorable character could work against her.

She eventually decided to show her versatility by taking on the role of Kate Keenan in HolbyBlue, which returns for a new series on Thursday.

"It was important to do something very different after Footballers' Wives," Lucker told Hot TV magazine. "Otherwise, it's hard to get out of being cast in strong, bitchy, quite sexual roles. I don't want to be doing that forever, good grief!"

Asked if she misses the role, Zoe replied: "I do miss Tanya, but that's because she was the first character I was really able to get my teeth into. But I also love playing a nice person who isn't always reading between the lines. Kate's such a different role, but that is why I waited for all that time to play it."

Zoe is said to be expecting a baby with her fiancé James Herbert.