Emmerdale’s Louisa Clein speaks out about Maya and Jacob’s grooming scenes

"It's a job, that's what we do as actors."

Louisa Clein has said that grooming scenes are just as awkward to film as scenes with people your own age. The Emmerdale actor said that although she often shoots sexual and intimate scenes with 17-year-old Joe Warren-Plant, she recognises that she's just doing her job. Speaking on Loose Women, she said:

"It’s a job, that’s what we do as actors. It’s awkward when it’s someone your own age as it is with someone younger. "Joe has been on the show since he was eight-years-old, he has a family on that show that love him and look after him. He is incredibly mature and professional as an actor, we all look after him and he looks after us as well."

Clein, who has received some criticism from fans because of the actions of her character Maya, said that while shooting, they try to "stay away" from the physical aspects of the relationship. "(Joe) always has chaperones around and we have tried to stay away from the physical stuff as much as possible," she said. "We don’t want it to be titivating and raunchy – that’s not the story we’re telling – it’s about the manipulation from her." The Maya and Jacob storyline has been ramping up for some time now, with the pair becoming closer and closer to getting caught each episode. However, despite some of the backlash that Emmerdale has received for drawing out the story so long, Clein remains adamant that they have a responsibility to tell it correctly. She said that the team have worked closely with Bernardos to ensure that they are doing the sensitive topic justice. "We had an incredible day with survivors from that abuse and the way they are looked after way beyond the social workers’ job description has been so eye opening," she said.