Emmerdale star Natalie J. Robb reflected on her character Moira Dingle’s time on the soap so far, and why she can’t watch back a particular scene with her co-star

Natalie J. Robb said she can’t watch back her first raunchy scene with Jeff Hordley

Emmerdale’s Moira Dingle actress Natalie J. Robb has revealed she still squirms over her first ever raunchy scene with her on-screen husband, Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley). Natalie, 50, became part of the ITV drama in 2009 as a member of the Bartons family, after previous roles in shows including EastEnders, Holby City, Taggart and The Bill.

Her character’s early storylines centred mostly around her marriage to childhood sweetheart John Barton (James Thornton) and their three children, before things began to unravel.

Eventually, money troubles and growing emotional distance drove a wedge between the couple, which led to Moira having an affair with Cain.

John later kicked Moira out of their home after Cain taunted him about their romance, but they soon reconciled. In a shocking turn of events that followed however, John’s life came to an end in a car crash, while Moira survived.

Natalie’s character subsequently wed Cain in 2014, and despite his recent betrayal and a temporary split, they continue to be together at present.

Emmerdale’s Moira and Cain Dingle have been married since 2014

Looking back on her character’s romantic switch in Emmerdale, the actress confessed she still cannot bring herself to watch her first steamy scenes with Jeff.

Discussing her initial thoughts to their affair plot, Natalie said it was “a shock” for both herself and her current on-screen spouse.

“I could see Jeff’s face just kind of like, blank, you know, he’s not the best one for change,” she revealed during a conversation with Matthew Rolland on his Isolation Interviews YouTube Channel. “He had been there a very long time, and I didn’t particularly know Jeff that well at this point,” she continued.

“And I was still a newbie, very much a newbie in terms of Emmerdale, in the scale of things then.

“I just thought, ‘Okay, right, but that is the job,’ but then I thought, ‘What’s he [the producer] seeing? Where’s that come from?'”.

Natalie went on to say at the time she was “really enjoying working with James” and added: “It’s like you have a weird loyalty to your characters as well.”

Recalling the first time she and Jeff had to kiss, she continued: “I couldn’t even watch it now, it makes me go red.

“It’s quite raunchy and for it’s time, you just think, ‘Oh my goodness’. Somebody sent me it a few years ago and I got really embarrassed.

“I literally blushed, so I kind of don’t… I suppose when you see it on screen it doesn’t feel like that when you’re doing it.

Emmerdale star Natalie J. Robb has been playing Moira Dingle since 2009

“No offence Jeff,” she laughed. “But it doesn’t, it’s like very technical and stuff like that, but when you see it on screen it’s like [shocking].”

Natalie went on to say she has since relished the way Moira and Cain have developed as a couple through their highs and lows.

Speaking about their on-screen future, she continued: “Yes, I would [like to see them be together forever]. I’d like to see a marriage work, but no marriage is perfect and that’s [the] reality.”

Revealing how they depict a genuine couple, Natalie explained the duo incorporate “loads of little bits and bobs” into their scenes, which “makes it more believable as a marriage”.

“It clicks, we work well together because of it, but it’s nice to know that some marriages do survive, even though they have some terrible times and hardships to deal with,” she added.

Beyond her scenes with Jeff, Natalie confessed she’d like to see Moira “join forces with Kim Tate” for a dramatic storyline down the line, and address contemporary issues such as tenant farming.

“It would be nice to see them come together somehow as a team, but not for long,” she added, laughing.