Emmerdale's Michelle Hardwick wants Vanessa Hardwick's mum for cancer storyline

Michelle Hardwick would love to bring Vanessa Woodfield\'s mother to \'Emmerdale\' for her cancer storyline.

The 44-year-old actress joined the ITV show back in 2012 with viewers still yet to meet her character\'s mum - who has been mentioned in passing over the years - but she would like to see her add depth to her alter ego\'s current plot.

Vanessa - who was recently diagnosed with bowel cancer - is being supported by fiancee Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and sister Tracy Metcalfe (Amy Walsh), but Michelle thinks it\'s a good opportunity to introduce an on-screen mother.

She\'s quoted by Digital Spy as saying: "Vanessa has been to visit her, so obviously they are on speaking terms - but I don\'t think she was the lovey-dovey mum she could have been.

"For me, it would be great to explore that in the future. Especially with what Vanessa\'s going through at the moment, who knows? It might happen. It\'d be great."

Michelle added that such a development could be a good way for the writers to explore her character\'s past in a way they haven\'t before.

She said: "We don\'t know that much about Vanessa\'s past. Obviously her dad Frank was part of the show, played by the lovely Michael Praed.

"But we\'ve just heard snippets about Vanessa maybe not getting on as well with her mum as she could have done. She\'s never visited the village."

Michelle has given this some serious thought, and she has already been paying attention to fans\' suggestions about how could take on the potential role.

She recently teased: "I\'ve been on the show for seven years now, and we still don\'t know much about her.

"So I\'d love to explore that. Does Vanessa have any other siblings out there? She doesn\'t have a great relationship with her mum, but she does visit her.

"A lot of people say, \'Oh gosh, we\'d love to see Vanessa\'s mum - who would it be?\'

"There\'s been a few suggestions. Some people have said that Susie Blake would be good."