New Emmerdale star Casey Al-Shaqsy has admitted to being starstruck by one of her co-stars, Jeff Hordley, saying: “I used to fancy him”.

The 30-year-old actress joined the Dales in June as Serena Sugden, the newest member of the Sugden clan and plunged into a dramatic storyline involving the death of Dr Todd (Caroline Harker) where Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) has taken the blame for killing the villainous medic.

Serena, however, knows it was really Sarah Sugden (Katie Hill) and is helping with the cover-up.

Al-Shaqsy said joining the village was a surreal experience, especially because some of her earliest memories of watching the ITV soap revolved around the romance between Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) and Charity.

She said: “That’s why it’s so weird that my first episode was with Emma and then I saw Cain.

“I think I actually got starstruck by Cain. I don’t get starstruck, I talk to everybody. I saw him and I was quiet for once…

“It was a bit awkward because I was like, ‘that’s Cain’. And I used to fancy him as well.”

Al-Shaqsy said she felt especially overwhelmed during her first experience being in the same room as the majority of the cast including Ash Palmisciano, who plays Matty Barton, Joe-Warren Plant as Jacob Gallagher and Lawrence Robb who plays Mackenzie Boyd.

“I’ve watched it back and thank God you can’t tell, but I almost threw up,” she said.

“I’d been there for two weeks and I’d had lovely interactions with everyone.

“And then I got into that Christening (scene), and it was like all the Dingles in one corner, then it was like me, Matty, there was Sarah and Jacob, and then Charity and Mackenzie, and I was literally stood there.

“I had to leave the room … because I just felt really overwhelmed.”

The actress, who previously appeared on stage in musicals including Six, Hamilton and Bonnie & Clyde, said her character is good at keeping secrets, however the truth behind Sarah’s involvement in Dr Todd’s death will be hard to conceal.

She said: “She doesn’t lie (but) she just doesn’t tell you the whole truth.

“She might look cool (but) she’s not happy. She knows how fragile (Sarah) is and how fragile the case now is for her, because as much as I talk her down, there’s a chance that she’s going to still say something.”

Viewers have not seen Serena bond much with her on-screen cousin Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley), but Al-Shaqsy is hoping that will change in the future.

“I passed Ryan the other day. He was like, ‘are you still living at my house?’

“It would be nice for the audience to see the bond that we have as family.”

Emmerdale is on at 8pm on weeknights on ITV1 and STV or from 7am on ITVX and STV Player and YouTube.