Every Mother's nightmare
Simone Lahbib explains why she found some her new storylines hard going...
After years of trying for a baby, actress Simone Lahbib was delighted when she finally gave birth to a baby girl, Skyel in October 2005. Being a new mum, however, made it all the more difficult to switch off from the opening story in the new series of ITV1 drama Wire in the Blood.
The first episode follows Simone's character, DI Alex Fielding, as she and clinical psychologist Tony Hill search for an abducted child.
'Motherhood changes you completely,' reveals Simone. 'I can't bear reading about bad things happening to children.'
In the new series we find out more about Alex's personal life as the demands of being the cheif of Bradfield CID begin to clash with those of being a single mum to Ben.
'Alex sacks her nanny after she hears her son refer to her as "mum",' says Simone. 'As well as being forced to juggle babysitters, she discovers her ex-husband has been getting back in touch with Ben behind her back. She feels her life is out of control.'
In contrast to Alex, Simone has a very supportive family behind her and when she's on location, there's always someone there to help look after Skye.
'The production company gave us a house to stay in with a big trailer on set where I could play with Skye,' she says. 'This time, my husband Raffaello was around more and my mum and dad came down from Scotland to look after Skye when I was working. It was fantastic.'
