ROSIE Marcel has now revealed that she was secretly glad that Holby City was given the axe by the BBC.
Fans were devastated after the publicly funded corporation pulled the plug in March 2022.
Rosie, 46, previously played her famed alter-ego Jac Naylor since 2005.
She first appeared in the eighth series of the hit BBC show and also appeared in the spin-off Casualty at various points between 2016 and 2019.
But the actress hinted that there were unforeseen benefits to the ending of the medical drama.
This is because she could spend more much-needed time with her family and brood.
She told The Mirror: “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.”
She added: “[So] I’m actually really grateful for it, because I probably would have stayed and I would have missed more.”
Rosie previously welcomed her daughter Beau, nine, back in January 2015.
But due to the pressures of her job, she returned to the set of Holby City after only six months.
She was one of the BBC’s highest paid actresses until the finale of the drama, but now says she enjoys a different role in her life.
The star added: “I’ve really enjoyed stepping into the role of mother and housewife.”
“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.”
