Natalie Anderson has seen more of her son since leaving ‘Emmerdale’.
The 34-year-old actress, who is set to star in an upcoming theatre production ‘Exposure’, will be able to spend more time with her three-year-old child Freddy – who she had with her husband James Shepherd – doing eight shows per week than she did during her five-year run as Alicia Metcalfe on the popular soap.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz about returning to the stage at this year’s Caudwell Children Butterfly Ball, which was held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday (22.06.16), Natalie said: "I’m in London because I’m in a musical at the moment so we open in three weeks, I’m just rehearsing, it’s a show called ‘Exposure’ and it’s on at the Saint James theatre. I’m playing one of the leading characters in that, which is quite cool because I’m originating the character, it’s never been done before.
"I went from kind of doing ‘Wicked’ straight into ‘Emmerdale’ and then I’ve kind of gone back the other way again now. Fire a bit of ‘This Morning’ as well!
"I’m really enjoying it because it is different like the way of working is very different; I mean rehearsals are pretty full on at the moment and we are recording the cast album as well, but once the show is up and running we’re pretty much – like I’ve got most of the day off Monday, Tuesday, two shows on a Wednesday then Thursday and Friday most of the day off then Saturdays two shows and Sunday off! So as much as it sounds really really pressured, actually I’d probably see more of Freddy doing eight shows a week than on a soap schedule."
And the brunette beauty has admitted she is apprehensive about people’s reactions to the show.
The mother-of-one explained: "[It is] very, very exciting, quite scary as well though because nobody knows what to expect when they come and see it. But yeah it’s been brilliant, I’m loving rehearsing it and we start recording the cast album tomorrow."