Rosie Marcel is "really grateful" that she was axed from 'Holby City'.
Rosie Marcel had played Jac Naylor in Holby City for 17 years when the series was axed by the BBC
The 46-year-old actress - who has nine-year-old daughter Beau with her husband Ben Stacey - had played consultant Jac Naylor in the BBC medical drama for 17 years when her character was killed off during the series' last ever episode in March 2022 and admitted that she has since got to know her family so much better than before.
She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I don’t think I became a mother until I left 'Holby City'. 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.
“[So] I’m actually really grateful for it, because I probably would have stayed and I would have missed more.
"I really love my daughter and I love her company and I realise what I’ve missed out on. Motherhood is far more rewarding than acting, so it would have to be something incredibly worthy to take me away from this."
At Christmas, Ben collapsed and suffered a pulmonary embolism which forced Rosie into becoming a real-life medic in the fight to save his life but is now "very grateful" that he pulled through and is still with her.
“It settled in the bottom of his lung and he got very sick. 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. 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.”