'It's a hard watch': Emmerdale's Amy Walsh admits her heartbreaking portrayal of postnatal depression on the soap 'must be difficult for anyone who's been through it'

Amy Walsh has reflected on the 'immense amount of pressure' she felt to tell her character's story right on Tuesday's This Morning.  

The Emmerdale actress' character Tracy Metcalfe has been embroiled in a postnatal depression storyline in recent months. 

Discussing Tracy's struggle when speaking to the show's hosts Eamonn Holmes and Rochelle Humes, the actress, 34, confessed: 'For anyone who's been through it, it must be a hard watch.'

After watching a clip of herself as Tracy, she explained: 'I am even emotional watching that clip, so for anyone who's been through it must be a hard watch. It's the first time I've taken on something really important.'

The soap star also added that the Emmerdale team 'spoke to case studies and we had one-on-one contact with sufferers from the illness'.

She continued: 'So I knew that every time I played something out, it was a reflection on what they went through. It was an immense amount of pressure but an honour.'

Demonstrating her knowledge of the illness after working closely with real life sufferers of post natal depression, Amy shared that she felt it was 'so important' to reflect that 'symptoms don't always show themselves until months down the line'.

Amy went on: 'People think they only suffer through a few weeks and then they get back on track. But research has shown symptoms don't always show themselves until months down the line.

'One of our case studies only realised after her child was one year old. And I think it's not dramatising it for drama's sake but telling the truth with it.

'I think they've [Emmerdale] done that really well. It didn't need to be a dramatic thing, it could just be the raw emotions.'

Adding that Tracy is 'getting to a really dark place', Amy also expressed the importance of 'telling a story of hope'.

'It's been important for us to tell a story of hope and people shouldn't shy away from seeing how this journey unfolds,' she said.

'I'm getting messages saying ''I've had to switch off, it's too tough, it's too hard''. But I want to say: ''Don't worry. she does get help''. Because we wanted to show there is hope.'

Tracy gave birth in February and Amy has previously revealed that she got tips on playing pregnant from her sister, singer Kimberley Walsh, 39, who gave birth to her third child this summer.

Ex-Girls Aloud member Kimberley gave her younger sister plenty of advice about what it was like to have a baby.

Amy explained at the time when speaking to The Mirror: 'When my sister gave birth, the midwife would shout at her, ''Chin on chest''. Little things like that make it more real.

'Kimberley also told me it's all in the breathing and using your breath to get through the contractions.'

Tracy, who Amy has played since 2014, gave birth to Nate Robinson's baby seven months ago.

The fictional couple learned Tracy was pregnant early in their romance but agreed to have the child.

Amy, who has no children of her own, loved being fake pregnant on set.

She said: 'There's something quite comforting about it. People would look at you in a different way, too. Everyone's nicer to you when you're fake pregnant!'