Kelle Bryan worried it was "too soon" after her stroke when she signed up for ‘Hollyoaks’, because it is a "highly-pressured job".
The 44-year-old actress made her first appearance as Martine Deveraux in October last year, but the former Eternal singer has now admitted she was concerned she might not be up to the job as it came just a couple of years after she suffered a stroke.
Speaking about joining the Channel 4 soap, she said: "I did worry [when I was offered the job]. I worried whether it was too soon. Because it’s a highly-pressured job.
"It’s not like a drama where you’ve got time to rehearse.
"It’s, ‘Here you go, read through, shoot.’ "
Kelle admitted learning scripts was "out of her comfort zone" when she first landed the job because it wasn’t long after she had to learn to read and write again following her stroke.
She said: "I’m always out of my comfort zone. I had a stroke about two years ago so learning to read and write again was a big thing for me.
"So putting myself on a soap opera, I’m on ‘Hollyoaks’, I get scripts every day.
"That’s out of my comfort zone, because I’m going, ‘I’ve got to get this by tomorrow.’
"But I’ve actually built that muscle now by doing that and putting myself in that place where I felt uncomfortable. And feeling really vulnerable."
Since she suffered a stroke, Kelle tries to make the most of her life and take more opportunities that come her way.
Speaking on ‘Loose Women’, she added: "I think being poorly and that you just kind of realise that life is really short, and so if I do get opportunities I’m like, ‘Yeah, go for it.’ "