Kelvin Fletcher, best known for his role in ITV’s Emmerdale, is bursting with pride as his daughter Marnie steps into the acting world, joining the cast of rival soap Hollyoaks.
The seven year old has taken on the role of Lexi Roscoe. Fans will recognise Lexi as the daughter of fan-favourite character Freddie Roscoe, played by Charlie Clapham, who made a comeback to the Channel 4 soap last year after a seven-year hiatus.
Freddie is eager to reintegrate into the village and build a bond with Lexi, who was born in 2016, just before her mum Lindsey Butterfield fell victim to serial killer Silas Blissett (Jeff Rawle).
Off-screen, Kelvin, who played Andy Sugden on the ITV drama until 2016, confessed that his “heart was beaming with pride” after watching his daughter’s performance.
During filming, he accompanied Marnie to the set as her chaperone, sharing that seeing her in action was “one of the very few times I’ve felt completely fulfilled”.
The former Strictly Come Dancing champ also revealed that his young daughter is beginning to outshine him in the acting world, landing a role in Hollyoaks the same week he missed out on two jobs.
He shared a snippet of her performance as Lexi with his followers, captioning it: “Marnie made her TV acting debut last week as she joined the fantastic cast of Hollyoaks.
“I was her ‘chaperone’ and I can’t begin to tell you the emotions I felt standing there watching. To be standing behind the camera, watching my 7yr old daughter act for the first time in front of the camera, brought so many feelings back to when I first started acting.
“It felt so surreal to be there witnessing it all again but this time, as a parent. My heart was beaming with pride and it was genuinely one of the very few times I’ve felt completely fulfilled.”
Kelvin wrapped up his heartfelt message saying: “To see your child find their passion and chase that feeling is one of the most beautiful and inspiring things to behold. What a moment for me and more importantly, what a moment for her. Well done darling.”
He added with a touch of humour: “P.S. The same week she got that casting, I didn’t get two! Typical.”
Fans were given a sneak peek of Marnie as Lexi sharing an emotional on-screen conversation with her real-life dad, Freddie Roscoe, during a school scene.