We get the inside story from Jacey Salles on Rosa and David’s untrue romance in Casualty…
It’s been forever since Casualty had a good wedding, so right now we’re happy to accept the proposal of a fake one.
Pushy but well-meaning Xiomara Steadman continues her matrimonial machinations this week, as she spreads word around Holby ED that nurse David Hide and her daughter Rosa Cadenas are engaged.
Xiomara is determined to see David and Rosa hitched, and it looks like the pretend-couple are beginning to enjoy the prospect too.
We caught up with Casualty and Cold Feet star Jacey Salles, who plays Rosa, to find out what’s going on in this colourful story line.
Here Casualty star Jacey reveals more…
Rosa’s arrival in Holby has certainly shaken up David’s life! Did you know her storyline was going in this direction when you first started in Casualty?
JS: "No I didn’t! All I knew was Rosa’s backstory about losing her child and why she was in Holby. It’s only when I started seeing the scripts and how Rosa came into David’s storyline that I knew. They keep you on your toes in Casualty!"
Were you surprised by the direction of Rosa and David’s friendship?
JS: "I didn’t know it was happening. One minute Rosa and David are snipping away at each other at work - the next they’re living together, he’s her fake boyfriend, and her mother comes to visit. It’s quite accelerated!"
It sure is… Last week David proposed. Is Rosa still reeling?
JS: "She was completely caught off guard by the fake proposal. David and Rosa haven’t even kissed! But what’s emerging is that they quite like each other. They make each other laugh as well as winding each other up."
There seemed to be a genuine moment between them when David fake proposed…
JS: "There was a moment where Rosa believed it. They keep getting caught up in all the fakery and have to remind themselves that it’s not true. David and Rosa have both started thinking, Would this be such a bad idea? But the question is, do they actually like each other romantically or not?"
Does Xiomara think their romance is true?
JS: "Rosa’s mother Xiomara believes Rosa has found an amazing man and is madly in love. It’s Xiomara’s intention to get Rosa and David’s relationship on a more permanent footing – and she’s not beyond duplicity! Xiomara has come to Holby in a blaze of meddlesome intent. She says one thing to Rosa and another to David. The audience knows more than the individual characters at times!"
Have you enjoyed working with Anna Savva, who plays Xiomara?
JS: "She’s absolutely brilliant. A comic genius. I was a huge fan of Anna's in The Durrells. We have a mutual friend in Callum Woodhouse – he plays Josh in Cold Feet and Leslie in The Durrells. He texted me to say Anna is his favourite person in the world, so I was looking forward to meeting her. When we met we clicked. I texted Callum back to say she’s now my favourite person in the world too!"
There are big developments for Rosa in Saturday’s Casualty. What can you reveal?
JS: "Rosa realises Xiomara has lied about her health and has to decide whether or not to be complicit. David is being coerced into marrying her, because he’s nice. Rosa’s not sure she can do that to him… She starts asking herself ‘Why am I doing this?’ Yet there’s a part of her that wants this…"
Does her mum persuade her one way or the other?
JS: "Everything that happens is really down to Xiomara. She’s quite manipulative, but it comes from a good place. Rosa’s her only child. That said, she’s the puppet master and manages to reduce Rosa to being a ten-year-old!"
