‘It’s absolutely gutting’: Rivals star Claire Rushbrook confirms Monica Baddingham’s fate as she reveals heartbreak over being axed
For anyone still convinced Monica's death was a red herring, the actress really has left the series and is devastated about it
When Rivals season 2 appeared to kill off fan favourite cast member Monica Baddingham just before its mid-season break, many fans thought her death was a red herring.
But for those left wondering whether Monica is really dead as her death in a car crash happened off screen, actress Claire Rushbrook has confirmed her character's untimely demise, and spoken candidly about being "gutted" to be axed from the hit show.
Ahead of the arrival of Rivals season 2b on November 11, in conversation with Radio Times, Claire says that when executive producers Alex Lamb and Dominic Treadwell-Collins gave her the news that she wouldn't be continuing in the show, she felt like she'd "fallen over."
"You know when you fall over and very quickly get up and style it out, It felt like that," she says. Thinking the executives were taking her for a "lovely champagne lunch," she was shocked to be "walloped around the head" with what actually unfolded.
The actress says she holds "big and difficult" feelings about leaving the absolute juggernaut of a show, admitting it's "absolutely gutting."
However, despite the "painful exit" as Claire calls it, she managed to find positives in the situation, especially when reassured about the "quality of the death scene" and how "impactful" it would be for the remainder of the show's run.
"It was hard to be entirely sad, because there was also great excitement," she says. Although the car crash that kills Monica off initially took place off screen, when the show returns, fans will get to see Monica's final moments.
Flashbacks will show her being comforted by Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) as she slips away, and the actress had big concerns over getting these scenes just right.
"I haven't played many deaths," she explains, adding that she felt "acutely responsible to bring a believable version" of Monica dying.
However, she had to force herself not to "prep for weeks" or "stay up all night worrying," thinking this could prevent her giving the most "truthful" performance.
Claire says she was initially "intimidated" by playing Monica, concerned about making sure she didn't become a "caricature."
Working with an accent coach, the actress reveals that she studied the mannerisms of Two Fat Ladies' star Clarissa Dickson Wright as part of her preparation for the role.
She is of course, utterly convincing, and her portrayal was perfectly pitched and absolutely award worthy.
The public clearly agree, as Claire shares that "people almost give a little curtsy" when they see her in the supermarket, so closely do they associate her with the upper class Monica.
Despite her sadness at waving a reluctant farewell to the beloved character, there is one thing she's glad she didn't have to do while appearing in the raunchy bonkbuster.
"I've loved everything about her," she says, but adds, "I am greatly relieved that she was not a fan of outdoor sex and vigorous nudity!"
Claire concludes that it's been a "privilege to play a woman discovering herself," which has made a "painful exit very nourishing and rewarding."
Rivals season 2 part b airs on Disney+ from November 11.
