Amy Walsh says the \'Emmerdale\' cast have been breaking down over Vanessa Woodfield\'s cancer storyline.
The 32-year-old actress - who has played Tracy Metcalfe on the ITV show since 2014 - admitted her on-screen sister\'s emotional plot has been tough for everyone involved.
Things take a turn next week, when Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) tells Tracy the truth about Michelle Hardwick\'s character\'s illness.
Amy said: "Michelle and Emma are both so good on screen and their relationship off screen is great too, and I\'m this third wheel in amongst it!
"I love working with the two of them and it\'s really easy, because we have such a good relationship off screen.
"We\'re so close. Even in the line run, Michelle will be in tears and I am too because I can\'t bear seeing her cry."
The soap star insisted the storyline is tough to watch but it\'s "so important" to shine a light on such an important issue.
She added: "The story we\'re telling is so important and we\'re flagging the symptoms to look for with this type of cancer.
"I do feel proud every day that this could save somebody\'s life, just from viewers hearing what alerted Vanessa to finding out she had bowel cancer.
"Personally I think it\'s a really positive story to tell. Even though it\'s so awful, it is worth telling."
However, the cast\'s friendships off screen mean they\'re able to switch off in between takes so they can cope with the heavy story.
She explained: "We\'re so moved by the story, so it\'s an emotional day of filming if you\'re doing those scenes all day. But we\'re all such good friends off screen and I love spending time with Michelle and Emma.
"We\'re always telling stories about what happened at the weekend. We make jokes all the time, we\'re always laughing in between takes. We just love spending the day together."
