 There are 25% fewer marriages and five times as many divorces in the UK today than there were 50 years ago and, nowadays, people are more likely to seek professional advice when their personal relationships hit the rocks. On Soap Life this week, presenter Fiona Phillips is joined by Relate counsellor Christine Northam, Nicola Wheeler (Nicola Blackstock from Emmerdale), and Lisa Francesca Nand, who sought counselling after she split up from her first love while at university, to talk about “real life” and “soap life” relationships.
Nicola Wheeler, who plays “naughty” Nicola Blackstock in ITV’s Emmerdale, says:
“Unlike my namesake in Emmerdale, so far I’ve been really lucky relationships-wise. But now I’ve turned 30, I feel there’s a lot more pressure on me from family and friends to “settle down” and that’s when things could start to go wrong.”
Christine Northam, Relate counsellor says, “TV Soaps normalise relationship problems for the viewer. I often use “soaps” in counselling as they’re so real and people can relate easily to them. These days people are far more likely to seek – and admit to having - relationship counselling. It’s no longer seen as a sign of weakness and can help people move forward and get on with their lives.”
At 19, Lisa Francesca Nand split up from her first love and lost her two best friends while studying for a degree. She said, "Counselling turned my life around. But it wasn’t what I expected. The main difference from talking to friends or family is that their advice or response is based on their personal experience. Often it’s something one just needs to talk about to someone impartial in a safe, objective space.”
Now 29, and an aspiring TV presenter, Lisa has been in a happy relationship for nearly five years.
With TV soaps regularly drawing weekly audiences in excess of 50 million, it’s impossible to ignore the impact that the nation’s most popular viewing has on people’s lives. In Soap Life, The Community Channel’s talk show which adds a new dimension to the nation’s favourite TV viewing, subjects as intimate, difficult and diverse as sexual exploration, depression, joy-riding and organ donation all come under the spotlight. Guests include Chris Finch (Karl Foster from Coronation Street), Amit Chana (Adi Ferreira from East Enders) and Dean Ashton (Aiden Critchley, ex-Corrie) and join Fiona Phillips and experts, counsellors and members of the public to compare real-life and “soap-life” experiences of preparing for and dealing with these traumas.
Soap Life broadcasts at 11am, 3pm and 10pm daily on The Community Channel.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 06 March 2006 )
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