Emmerdale spoilers follow.
Emmerdale star Zoe Henry has shared more details of her character Rhona Goskirk's Christmas storyline.
Rhona is in for a shock over the festive season as her ex-husband Gus becomes an unexpected houseguest alongside baby Ivy.
Earlier this year, Rhona was shocked to learn that Gus had fraudulently used one of their frozen embryos to start a family with his wife Lucy. Tragically, Lucy died after giving birth to Ivy and Gus is struggling to cope with his grief.
Speaking to Digital Spy and other press about the upcoming scenes, Zoe explained: "Rhona's mum Mary, in a bid to keep Rhona away, has said: 'You need to focus on your children and your husband. You need to stay away from Ivy, so I will go and make sure Gus is coping'.
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"Gus didn't seem to be coping because his wife died and he was thrust into having a newborn baby on his own. So that's the agreement they came to, but then very suddenly – just before Christmas – Mary turns up at Smithy Cottage with Gus and Ivy in tow because they are really not coping.
"The baby's got bad nappy rash and Mary just goes: 'I don't know what to do'. So it's a very awkward situation before Christmas where Marlon's like: 'This is not happening'. Mary's saying: 'Yes it is'. It's great, they're really sensitively-written scenes."
She continued: "Marlon and Rhona decide to invite Gus and Ivy to stay for Christmas, which is a big decision for Marlon. Rhona's obviously thrilled because it's what she wants, really, although it's a terribly difficult situation.
"They decide to tell the children what's happened. April knows a bit of it and she just goes, 'Yeah, cool!' in a very teenage nonchalant, get-on-with-it way.
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"I think it's a bit of an eye-opener for Marlon and Rhona to go: 'Oh, maybe this isn't going to be as difficult as we thought'. But obviously it will be, because it's soap."
Zoe revealed that Rhona and Gus avoid any conversations about long-term plans for Ivy during the Christmas period.
Rhona is desperate to be part of Ivy's life, but Marlon is wary over what this would mean for their family.
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Zoe continued: "It's not even getting through Christmas – it's getting through the grief of Gus losing his wife. He cannot cope. He is broken because he was very much in love with his wife and their dream had just become a reality, in that they'd just had this baby.
"Everything changed in that moment when Lucy passed away. So there are no conversations about what happens going forward. Rhona's treading a very fine line because she's got exactly what she wants – all three of her children in one place – but her husband is unhappy, her ex-husband is unhappy.
"She's trying to spin plates and keep everybody from falling apart. There's no rational conversation with Gus at all because he's not in his right mind."
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
