Emmerdale actress Gemma Oaten shared the moment she reunited with her former career who helped her battled an eating disorder.
The 39-year-old former Yorkshire Dales resident ran into one of her childhood heroes while on holiday and explained that Joyce cared for her when she was diagnosed with anorexia at 11 years old.
Gemma rose to fame for her parts in the ITV soap world, playing the role of Rachel Breckle in Emmerdale and Isla Haywood in Coronation Street.
She updated followers on Instagram about her chance encounter and revealed her shock when she turned around after someone had called her name in Majorca.
The star posted images of herself with Joyce and captioned the upload with: ‘I turn around & approach the lady who softly spoke my name.
‘Me – Me Gemma? Lady – I knew it was you! *gently* You don’t remember me do you? I looked closer, as she took off her sunglasses & I knew, but I felt in shock.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtuCPfqIFeU/
‘With that I felt incapable of drawing breath. Then I found myself holding her tight & quietly sobbing into her chest. Just like I had 28yrs ago.
‘Joyce looked after me when she was a carer at the unit I was admitted to with #anorexia at 11yrs old & given 24hrs to live. A place that many who were meant to be helping me, treated me like I was nothing. Treated in a barbaric way, doing more harm then good [sic].’
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Gemma continued the emotive note to her fans and also included snaps of herself as a child in the collection of images.
She carried on explaining: ‘1 time, I wasn’t allowed to ring my parents to say goodnight as a punishment for losing weight that day. I was 11yo, on bed rest, 24hr watch & the 1 thing that helped me sleep was hearing my parents tell me they loved me.
‘Joyce was on watch that night & came to my bed, as I sobbed in her arms. She then led me quietly to the office & let me call home.
‘I’ll never forget it, & to this day when I do my public speaking & work with @seedsupportuk
‘I tell the story of Joyce whose kindness I believe kept me alive [sic].’
The actress ended the post on a grateful note and thanked her former carer for her help, acknowledging that she was a ‘survivor’.
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