‘I’m feeling all right now!’ Shelagh McLeod reveals why playing a doctor has been a real tonic.
Will Preston’s doctor girlfriend actress Shelagh McLeod, is happy to be treating patients for once, rather than being one herself. As Dr. Kate Webster she dishes out prescriptions and advice, as well as tender loving care for the hunky Will played by Simon shepherd.
It makes a change for Shelagh who, in real life is no stranger to hospitals. ‘I’d be happy if I never had to go near another doctor again,’ she says. The 36 year old actress, who has also appeared in The Chief and Boon, suffers from a condition called degenerative scoliosis or curvature of the spine.
She had to six hour operations to repair discs in her back and spent five days in intensive care and several months wearing a cast around her torso. ‘In the end, everything was fine but it was a terrible time’ admits Shelagh. ‘One day, when we were filming in a hospital for Peak Practice, it all came back to me I was scared all over again.’
She also suffered complications while she was pregnant with her 10 month old daughter Katherine. ‘In the end, everything was fine,’ She says. ‘But I hope that’s the last time I see a doctor for some time, outside of Peak Practice of course.’
‘My storyline is great,’ she adds. ‘Kate is as nervous as Will about getting involved, they’ve both been through a divorce, but things are going right for them now.’ Romancing Simon was no problem either. Shelaigh and her husband Marek become friends with Simon and his wife when they lived near one another in London. ‘Simon has come to my rescue more than once,’ she laughs. ‘The last time was after I rang him in a panic about appearing in front of a live audience. He was great. And the next day he sent herbal tonic for my nerves. It really did the trick!’