Holby City star Rosie Marcel shares how show axing affected her family life

jac naylor, holby city
Holby City star reveals how axing affected familyBBC
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Holby City star Rosie Marcel has opened up about how the show's cancellation has affected her family life.

The actor famously played the role of Jac Naylor on the BBC medical soap for 17 years, before the series came to an end in 2022.

Despite the axing, Rosie has revealed in the new interview that there has been a big positive in that she has been able to spend more time with her daughter Beau.

rosie marcel
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Related: Holby City: An oral history by the show's stars and creators

"I don't think I became a mother until I left Holby City," she told The Mirror. "I don't think I really knew who I was, and I don't think I really knew who my daughter was, until I was axed.

"My husband Ben [Stacey] did it all. I left the house first thing and was back really late. My character was incredibly popular so I was there all the time. It was very rare that I got time off."

The star added that she is "actually really grateful for it" as she "probably would have stayed and […] would have missed more".

jac naylor, holby city
BBC

Related: Holby City's Rosie Marcel to reunite with former castmates for new project

"I really love my daughter and I love her company and I realise what I've missed out on," Rosie further reflected. "Motherhood is far more rewarding than acting, so it would have to be something incredibly worthy to take me away from this."

The star also spoke about an incident at Christmas that saw her husband collapse because of a pulmonary embolism, revealing that she was glad she "wasn't working" and could take care of him.

"It settled in the bottom of his lung and he got very sick," Rosie recalled. "We went to hospital and they gave him blood thinners and sent him home. In the night his lung collapsed. And we had to call an ambulance, because it was putting enormous strain on his heart.

holby city
BBC

Related: Former Holby City star David Ames reveals whether he'd move to Casualty

"We're lucky to have him. 70% of people die from what he had, so I'm very grateful that he's still with us. I'm so glad that I wasn't working, as it meant I was able to look after him. It was a good six weeks before he was able to go back to work."

Addressing Holby's cancellation, the actor suggested that the show could still return in the future, saying: "I thought getting rid of it was a big mistake. It's a show that could easily come back and continue."

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