When her husband's true identity is revealed, Holby City nurse Cara Martinez realises she can't be involved in Jed's games any more, reveals Niamh Walsh…
When Jed (played by Shameless star Jody Latham) first turned up at Holby several weeks ago, how did Cara feel about his job as an undercover cop and his involvement with gangster Sean Brady?
"At first Cara was thrilled to see Jed but, because of the nature of his undercover work, he's had to become engrained with people like Sean. To be around them, Jed's had to become more like them. That began to drive Cara and Jed apart."
Cara then discovered that Jed was perhaps a little more involved with the Brady family than she first thought – he'd actually fathered a child with Sean’s wife Nicole...
"Well, that's the worst thing imaginable. Cara already couldn't get her head around this 'new' undercover life that Jed had – and now there's a completely new life that’s been created because of it! She can't believe he'd betray her like that."
So given that Cara feels so cheated, what motivates her to want to protect Nicole and baby Tom, when they turn up at Holby this week?
“Cara's a carer and nurturer; it’s in her nature to help people and she'll always hold out a tiny flame of hope that there’s some way she can fix things. Although she’s been betrayed by Jed, Cara doesn’t blame Nicole."
Nicole’s been hiding from her violent husband Sean ever since he found out he wasn’t Tom’s father. So when Sean turns up at Holby, Cara has to think very quickly…
“Because Cara's spent her whole life lying about what her husband does for a living, she's always had to think on her feet. It's become a natural instinct because it's something she's had to do for years."
When Nicole needs emergency surgery, Cara refuses to leave baby Tom with Sean, so she calls Jed to come and sort things out…
“Cara’s terrified because this is not her world; this isn't the relatively safe world of nursing, this is a dangerous world full of very dangerous people. But it is Jed's world, so she needs him to be there.”
When Jed says they need to keep things quiet for the good of the case, it seems Cara still wants to support him…
"The hardest thing about all this for Cara is that Jed's still her husband and she still loves him, but she can't understand why he's doing all the things he's doing. Cara really wants to help Jed, but she can barely stand to look at him."
There’s an almighty showdown, though, when Sean works out who Tom’s father is… and goes for Jed. To save him, Cara hits Sean over the head!
"I know! When it comes to the crunch, the person who finds real strength is our girl Cara. There are all these men standing around, yet it’s Cara who does what needs to be done!”
With Jed’s identity as an undercover cop now exposed, Cara tells Nicole all about him. But Nicole has some things to say about Jed that make Cara realise he’s no better than Sean – and certainly not the man she married…
"All along Cara’s been clinging onto this idea that everything Jed was doing was just because he was working undercover and that there would be some hope for them. But, in that moment, this whole fairytale Cara's created comes crumbling down and she sees Jed for what he really is."
Is that when Cara decides her marriage to Jed is well and truly over?
"Yes! Jed's always been the hero in Cara's eyes but he’s a different man now, one she doesn't know. The man Cara loves is gone."
What was it like playing opposite Jody Latham as Jed?
"Oh, Jody’s brilliant! He's such a charmer and he had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. Working with him was a real gift."
You joined Holby this summer. Have you enjoyed getting your teeth into such a meaty storyline so soon after your arrival?
"It was great! The producers had just given me enough time to find my feet as Cara, get settled in and learn what nursing was like on AAU – and then it all came crashing down!"
Holby City continues Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC1.
