EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley 'sobbed' reading miscarriage storyline

karen taylor in EastEnders

EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley, who plays matriarch Karen Taylor, has revealed that she cried buckets when she learned that her screen daughter Bernadette suffers a miscarriage in the BBC1 soap

EastEnders star Lorraine Stanley, who plays matriarch Karen Taylor, has revealed that she cried buckets when she learned that her screen daughter Bernadette will suffer a miscarriage in the BBC1 soap.

The 41-year-old actress described the emotional plotline as “every mother’s nightmare” and adds that Karen tries to keep herself together for the sake of her teenage daughter.

“Oh it really moved me, when I read it I sobbed,” said Lorraine. “And then the actor in me was excited to play that and for people to see a different side to Karen. It’s every mother’s nightmare so I don’t think you can play it tough. She tries to keep it in and tries not to cry in front of her kids, but when Karen’s with Shirley then she lets go a bit more and then you see she’s really trying to hold it together for them. That’s even sadder actually.”

Lorraine went on to reveal that Karen desperately tries to comfort Bernadette during it all.

Bernadette Karen 5Sept

“That was a really difficult scene actually and I’m really interested to watch it. Karen’s talking about different family stories and about Bronson the dog and various things, and she’s going on and on just to try and put Bernadette at ease and stop her from worrying about what’s happening until the ambulance comes.”

Lorraine said she hopes that EastEnders fans will now see her character in a different light.

“I want people to see that softer side because it’s easy to play tough - that for me comes easier, but to get those vulnerable moments and to see her as a really good mum. Her public appearance is different to how she is at home with the children. She’s a tough cookie outside the house and she wouldn’t take any nonsense off her kids either, but indoors you see that actually she’s a brilliant mum.”

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.


Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 


David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.


Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!