Emma Rigby 'not a soap fan' despite Hollyoaks

Former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby has confessed that she is not a fan of soaps - and no longer watches the show she used to be a part of.

The 22-year-old - who stars in this week's new BBC1 drama Prisoners' Wives - left Hollyoaks in 2010 after playing anorexic teen Hannah Ashworth.

However Emma has admitted, "I don't watch it, but one of my best friends is Andrew Moss who played my older brother, so he informs me of all the happenings.

"It's not the kind of thing I would watch - I've never been a soap fan."

She added that she was excited to be a part of the cast of Prisoners' Wives, in which she plays a pregnant woman left to cope alone after her husband is jailed for murder.

"This is what I left Hollyoaks for. I'm so fortunate to have been able to play this part. I'm grateful for Hollyoaks but this is the new me," Emma said.

However she shrugged off suggestions that the show, which begins on January 31, was a cross between Footballers' Wives and Bad Girls.

"A few people have said that but I would suggest they think of Footballers' Wives, then imagine the polar opposite," she said. "I don't think there can be any parallels drawn between the two."