'Emmerdale' newcomer Scarlett Archer used to sob into customer's pasta dishes when she was working as a waitress and kept receiving acting knock backs.

Chris Bisson and Scarlett Archer (c) Twitter

Chris Bisson and Scarlett Archer (c) Twitter

The actress was recently cast as substance abuser Nell Fairfax in the long-running soap and has admitted this is the first proper acting job she's had where she's been able to give up her work in a restaurant and actually follow her acting dream.

Speaking to 'Lorraine' on Wednesday (17.05.17), Scarlett said: "This is the first job that I've been able to quit working as a waitress. It feels like a bit of a dream. Everyone is so nice and lovely. It makes you appreciate the job more. There have been so many times when I was crying into people's carbonara at work.

"You have to have thick skin. I don't think actors talk enough about how difficult it is and the amount of rejections you have to go through."

And, although it's her first on-screen job, bosses certainly aren't giving Scarlett an easy start as her alter ego is currently entangled in a love affair with Jai Sharma (Chris Bisson) after they met at Narcotics Anonymous and she reminded him of his tragic relationship with Holly Barton (Sophie Powles), who tragically overdosed last year.

Chris, 41, said recently: "It's lovely to play a long-term story. Dealing with drugs is important and they are long-term problems and issues for anyone who has ever had them. Nell provides an opportunity to see that Jai still has those moments and it's not going away. He hasn't taken drugs but that vulnerability is always there. Maybe Nell is a good reason for him to hold it together - the best one he has had so far, anyway."

The actor also admitted he was concerned his character was too evil to remain on the show following a number of hard storylines including being a drug addict, kidnapping and locking a pregnant woman in a freezer.