Tameka Empson wants her 'EastEnders' character to be "an inspiration" to real-life single mothers.
Tameka Empson as Kim
The 41-year-old actress is hopeful her alter-ego Kim Fox-Hubbard, who revealed this week she is expecting her second child, will become someone who people can "take note from" as she brings up her daughter Pearl without husband Vincent (Richard Blackwood).
She said: "I'm looking forward to everyone seeing her mettle.
"Let's paint a picture for other single mothers out there.
"I think viewers want something positive for her, and you can feel the love for her.
"If she was downtrodden, it would change her character completely - she's supposed to be the life and soul. So I'd like to think she'll be an inspiration, that people can take note from her.
"That's what I'd like."
Tameka waited until she was alone in her house before she watched Richard's exit scenes, and admits she found it "tough" viewing to see her on-screen husband trapped in a car with one of evil Aidan Maguire's (Patrick Bergin) cronies pointing a gun at him.
She added to Inside Soap magazine: "I purposely didn't read in the scripts about what was going on in the lead-up to Richard leaving.
"And I didn't want to watch it episode by episode when it was on screen - I wanted to watch the whole thing like an omnibus, to get the whole feeling.
"When I did sit down to watch it, I made sure I was in the house by myself, as I didn't want any interruptions - I'm a bit of a fan like that when watching the show.
"I thought I was ready for it, but it got me. I was like, 'Argh.' It was tough to see Vincent in that situation."