'Emmerdale' star Jane Cox has praised her character's current storyline for helping to dispel misconceptions surrounding the issue of rape. Warning: Spoiler Alert!
The actress's alter ego Lisa Dingle was sexually attacked by work colleague Derek Benrose (Stephen Bent) earlier this year, but most of her loved ones are unaware of her ordeal because she is suffering in silence.
Lisa is currently experiencing the torment of still having to work alongside Derek at the 'Sharma & Sharma' sweet factory.
She has also become concerned about his growing bond with her friend Lizzie Lakely (Kitty McGeever).
In an interview with The Mirror, Cox said: "[The producers] didn't want it to be a stranger rape - they wanted it to be someone Lisa knew quite well.
"They thought it was an interesting story and I agreed. It explodes a lot of myths. People don't imagine women like Lisa, in their 50s and not particularly racy, being raped, but it does happen.
"They assume it is always a stranger who attacks a woman when it's not. Another myth is it's about sex. It's actually about power and also control.
"I've seen some unpleasant comments online saying, 'Who would want to rape Lisa Dingle?' But it's not just young women who are raped - it happens to everyone from children to people who are in their 90s."
Cox carried out extensive research in preparation for the storyline, including speaking to real-life rape victims and consulting a counsellor at a rape crisis centre.
Discussing what it was like to shoot the hard-hitting scenes, she said: "It was hard and very upsetting to film as it made me think of other people who have really been through that. I was in tears as I filmed it because it was so intense.
"And it can be quite hard to switch off. There have been scenes when Lisa is holding it together for her family and I've come off set and burst into tears just thinking about it.
"In some scenes I've deliberately not cried because I've worried that if I did start I wouldn't stop."
Lisa finally tells her family and friends the truth in tomorrow night's 'Emmerdale' double bill of the soap, before finally reporting Derek to the police.
However, whether Derek will be brought to justice remains to be seen.
