[bbfan1991]

Hollyoaks star Carli Norris has admitted that she sometimes finds it difficult to have sympathy for her troubled character Martha Kane.

Martha, who was introduced to screens in January, has an alcohol problem which has often adversely affected the lives of her children Ash, Callum and Lacey.

Speaking on Channel 5's The Wright Stuff today (July 26), Norris explained that she has been researching the storyline during filming with help from Hollyoaks bosses.

Norris commented: "I did as much [research] as I could. Fortunately for me, I haven't had that kind of lifestyle - I'm not a big boozer myself, and it wasn't a big thing in my family.

"But I was really lucky, while we were filming, to come into contact with somebody who was a teenager with a mother who had a serious alcohol problem. He shared some stories with me, and nobody should have to go through that, particularly at that age. And unfortunately she did pass away and left the family in devastation.

"I'm trying to have sympathy for the character as much as I can, and then I suddenly get another script and I'm like, 'Oh my God, what have I done now?'"

The actress also joked that life can be tricky as one of Hollyoaks' older cast members.

She said: "I feel like a granny! I thought I was quite young and funky, and I got there and in all the production offices there's a list of all the characters and their names. There's under-18s, over-25s, and there's an over-40s one!"