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Anna Nightingale wants Emmerdale to cast Andrea a gangster brother

Anna Nightingale would love ‘Emmerdale’ to cast her character a "gangster brother".

The 29-year-old actress portrays Andrea Tate in the ITV soap, and she would love for the producers to recruit some family members who could bring "all kinds of fireworks" to the village.

When asked if she would like to see Andrea’s family in the Dales, she said: "I would love that, and I regularly have this conversation with anybody who will listen.

"I feel as if Andrea’s had problems with her parents growing up, and perhaps she has siblings she’s close to, but they’re a bit wayward.

"I’d love a brother who is some kind of gangster.

"I think it would be really cool, because you’d see a different dynamic.

"And obviously the minute you bring people’s past into their present, there’s all kinds of fireworks that go off."

Anna would also welcome the return of Ned Porteous, who played Joe Tate on the show from 2017 to 2018.

She added: "I see quite a lot of the fanbase of ‘Emmerdale’ are keen for him to come back.

"He absolutely loved his time on the show, and I called him as soon as I got the job here.

"Storyline-wise, it’d be lovely for Andrea to have this ally who has one foot in the Tate family and one foot in their other life."

Anna’s latest storyline has seen Andrea discover her husband Jamie Tate (Alexander Lincoln) has been having an affair with Belle Dingle (Eden Taylor-Draper), but she gets on really well with the pair in real life.

Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, she said: "Alex is like everybody’s brother – to me especially, because I’m a bit older than him in real life.

"He comes to me for advice on all sorts, and I’ll always try to help him out.

"And Eden is an old soul, she’s so intelligent and worldly. I don’t need to offer her advice on anything."