Emmerdale's Gemma Oaten reveals baby excitement

Emmerdale's Gemma Oaten reveals baby excitement
Emmerdale's Gemma Oaten reveals baby excitement (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Emmerdale star Gemma Oaten has revealed that she cannot wait to start acting alongside a real baby when her character Rachel Breckle gives birth. The actress' alter ego is set to go into premature labour in the New Year and give birth to Jai Sharma's baby, a little boy she calls Archie - and while she has rehearsed with a wax model, it will soon be replaced by the real thing. "I'm so excited to meet little Archie for real," Gemma said. "I can't wait to get a real baby! I'm getting so broody, it's not even funny." "My sister's got a six-month-old baby, and Chris Bisson, who plays Jai, is going to be a dad in real life and I was holding Gennie's baby in a scene last week, and I can't wait to get my hands on my baby. I'm looking forward to it." So far Rachel has managed to keep the identity of Archie's dad a secret, but the scene is set for drama when Jai's father Rishi discovers the truth. Gemma admitted that it was not easy keeping Rachel's secret - but suspects it will not remain secret for long. "Now Rishi knows, one person finds out and it starts to snowball, and I'm just wondering who will be the next person to find out. "I've got a feeling somebody else will find out soon - I've not seen it written in black and white, but I've just got that feeling that this is going to start snowballing and then it's going to blow," she added. "But I think this is going to stay a secret and run and run. But I'm guessing the longer they leave it, the better the reveal will be."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.