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(Photo: ITV)
Amelia Spencer must have grown up in the years before her time. She lost her mother, was kidnapped and is now looking after Dan after his allergic reaction to Emmerdale.
It bothered her, but made her a character full of empathy and strength that viewers loved. The following year, Metro.co.uk met with the talented Daisy Campbell to reflect on the trip and find out what happened next, as Amelia became an important ally for the struggling village.
It’s clear that teenage girl Amelia still enjoys playing this role: It is such a wonderful experience to play the role of Amelia. I played with her for ten years in May, and I can’t believe it. She is such a character and has so much fun playing with the different emotions she feels. She has suffered a lot lately, with her father’s injury, and when she was younger she became a caretaker and played well.
What I like about Amelia is the support she gives to the people around her. She doesn’t just think about herself, she always thinks and cares about others, and that makes her the caring person she is. I feel like I can relate to Amelia, because I think I’m a lot like her in real life!
She is kind, loving, friendly and also very helpful. She is so open and generous, and it shows in the way she interacts with the people around her.
And one person who will really benefit in the coming weeks is the traumatized chaplain Harriet Finch, who is dealing with the aftermath and hatred of Inspector Malone’s self-destructing body and who also helped keep Lucas away from Dawn.
Talk about the bond forming between them, Daisy thought: Harriet has always been a good friend to Amelia and has always been there for her. They always stand together and take care of each other. So I think she’s worried about Harriet now because she really doesn’t seem happy, happy. Anything that seems out of the ordinary, Amelia notices, and she knows something is wrong!
(Photo: ITV)
In Amelia’s eyes, I definitely think Harriet is part of the family in some way. Spencer’s family is so small now that I think Harriet is like a mother or even a sister in Amelia’s life.
But maybe in time they will be as supportive of each other as Amelia, who is going through a difficult time right now. But Daisy is proud of the characteristics of young carers, the struggles they face and how they cope with life.
She said: It’s really hard. In the back of my mind, I think Amelia is trying to hide it and be brave so it doesn’t affect anyone. Like she likes to carry all the weight on her shoulders so the people around her can be happy. It really is a big responsibility to implement something like this at such a young age. She’s only 14 years old, so it’s very difficult for a young person to take care of her father and look after him 24/7, juggle school and try to have a social life.
She feels like an adult in the house now – I get the feeling she’s happy to take on the responsibility, because she just wants to make sure her dad is okay and proud of her.
Sometimes she feels like she and her father can’t come back, and this is what her life will be like from now on. I think Amelia really relies on religion and prays that things will get better and they will get through it together.
I think she also trusts Harriet because she helps her see the positive side of things, and she’s a great friend and mentor to Amelia. Amelia doesn’t have many friends on the show, but she seems to have made a few this year, Sarah being one of them. Amelia shares her problems with Sarah, and in the past few months they both seem to share their problems with each other, which I think makes them feel like they’re not alone and that everyone is going through something.
The program was praised for its sensitive and insensitive portrayal of this situation, which is so real for many teens. And Daisy herself was praised for her emotional and mature performance. In talking to her, it is clear that she appreciated the credibility of the story and hopes it helped viewers understand the plight of young caregivers.
She shared: I am so, so proud. I’ve always wanted a story that could be used to bring attention to the real problems in the world. When I found out, I wanted to go ahead and do my best. It took months of research and the team at Emmerdale really helped Liam (Dan) and me to understand the real issue of what young carers go through at such a young age!
I’ve also made sure I’ve done all the research I can. I’m so glad Emmerdale trusted me with this story. I have received so many messages from people telling me they are young carers and it makes them feel like they are not alone – I feel like I have done my job well.
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