Groundbreaking Emmerdale star Ash Palmisciano has reflected on the the uphill battle he faced in coming to terms with his mother’s death earlier this year.
Ash, 32 – the soap’s first transgender actor – lost his mother Michelle at the age of 60 in May following a long-term battle with rheumatoid arthritis.
Speaking to The Mirror, the star said he feels fortunate to have had parents who showered him and his younger sister with love, and insists he wasn’t prepared for the avalanche of grief that followed her passing.
Barton is devastated after discovering the pair lied to him about who really shot dead former Woolpack co-owner Al Chapman.
He said: ‘Poor Matty has had a rough time in Emmerdale, but there has always been so much love in my family home, and Mum was the most important person in my life.’
Ash admitted Christmas will be tough for the family, as it will be their first without their mother.
