Jill Halfpenny has opened up about how the impact of losing her partner in 2017 may have prepared her for her latest role in The Drowning.
In the upcoming show, the 45-year-old actress is assuming the role of a bereaved mum called Jodie whose young son is believed to have drowned.
The harrowing Channel 5 drama follows the heartbreaking story of a couple rocked by loss as details about what they believe happened continue unravel.
Jill is also not unknown to loss, after her partner Matt Janes tragically suffered a heart attack at the gym and died at the age of 43 in 2017.
Speaking ahead of the latest series, the actress has opened up about channelling her feelings of loss into her role.
"I haven’t experienced the same loss, but loss is loss and I believe people can grieve just as heavily over the loss of a relationship as of a person," Jill told Love Sunday magazine.
"And as I bring up feelings for the role, I think inevitably some of my own are going to come up as well.
She added: "But some aren’t useful for the character and I have to figure out which are mine and which are Jodie’s."
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It wasn't until two years after Matt's death that Jill opened up about her devastating loss.
However, the actress also learned about dealing with her grief and allowing herself time to process what had happened.
Jill continued: "It seems quite obvious to me that everything is interlinked. So when my partner died, I just made a decision to be with it, to invite it in, to let it crush me.
"Because pain doesn’t kill you. But I think denying pain can possibly lead you to darker places than if you just face the pain."
Jill's suspenseful new role in The Drowning will trace the character's journey through grief and the drastic lengths a mother will go to in order to find out what happened to her son.
The Drowning begins tomorrow on Channel 5 at 9pm.
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