Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Jeff Hordley has shared the impact his Cain Dingle storyline has had on his life. Viewers know that Cain has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and is set to undergo surgery.
Speaking about the important plot, Hordley revealed that it prompted him to go for a Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test.
ITV
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“I’m 56 and I’ve been for a PSA test already because of this storyline,” Hordley shared. “There’s other people in the company of a similar age to me who’ve gone, ‘I’m going to the doctors to get a PSA test’.
“And that’s kind of what we want, really. If this can get 50 people, 10 people, five people to go to the doctors and find out. Because it’s an illness where you don’t know and sometimes it’s symptom free, then that will be a job well done.”
Hordley also spoke about the challenges of the storyline, and how it has made him explore another side to Cain.
“It’s been a brilliant challenge,” the actor said. “The guy is really having to face something that he’s never faced before, so therefore his guard’s down on a lot of things. He’s unknowingly tapping into emotions that I don’t think he knew he had.
“I think this is why they probably chose the character for this storyline. He’s the classic man who doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t tell people. So by having this illness, this is what we’re exploring and finding out with the character, so it’s really interesting.”
ITV
Hordley went on to say that he’s been on a “massive rollercoaster” since December, becoming fully immersed in the story.
“I kind of said to Zoe [Henry, who plays Rhona – Jeff’s real-life wife] this morning, ‘Have I been THAT busy’ She said ‘yeah’!
“I’ve got to work every day, so it’s been a real challenge. It’s starting to peter off a little bit now and get to what a normal schedule is.”
Hordley also praised his co-star Natalie J Robb, who plays his wife Moira Dingle. Next week will see the soap air another special episode, as the couple’s marriage hits a new crisis point.
“I’ve got the best wing lady,” Hordley said of Robb. “Sometimes it’s like ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time’. But when you’ve got someone like Natalie next to you, it’s a breeze and we really have an understanding.”
ITV
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Hordley added that, despite how heavy the storyline is, he’s enjoyed working on it and the positive impact it’s having.
“Sometimes I’ve been coming into work thinking ‘I’m quite overwhelmed by the day,’ the actor added.
“But by the end of the day, I’m skipping out of work because we’ve just had so much fun even though the story is very heavy.”
“It’s really resonating and it feels like we’re pitching it quite well. I think it’s about us seeing through someone going through the journey of waiting, the ‘what ifs?’ over the side effects of surgery, and the things that men have to go through in these situations.”
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 8pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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