In an exclusive interview and photoshoot in HELLO! magazine, former Dynasty actress Emma Samms tells how her partner, news anchor Simon McCoy, has helped her cope after being stricken with Covid-19 as she talks of the long-term effects of the virus.
Photographed at her home in the Cotswolds with Simon and her 22-year-old daughter Micha, Emma tells HELLO!: "Every day is different, some good and some bad, ranging from shortness of breath and chest pain to extreme fatigue."
Paying tribute to Simon for supporting her through this challenging time, she says: "Simon has been absolutely amazing, taking me to the hospital and waiting outside for hours, and just doing as much as he possibly could to help. He's given me emotional support, too; I'll never be able to thank him enough for his kindness."
Emma Samms spoke exclusively to HELLO!
In the interview, Emma also shared some of her special memories of being in the iconic 1980s soap. When asked to recall some of her most memorable scenes from the show, she replies: "The steamy shower scene where there was no hot water and we had to film in freezing water with smoke pumped in to simulate steam. There was also that famous mud fight with Heather Locklear – I wonder why so many of the crew turned up to watch? Heather and I still laugh about that."
She also tells the magazine how she is with reuniting with her former Dynasty co-stars to help raise funds for the Southmead Hospital charity to help thousands of people who, like her, are struggling with the effects of long Covid. Stephanie Beacham, Maxwell Caulfield and Heather are all taking part in the virtual event on March 20.
The Dynasty star at home in the Cotswolds
"It's going to be fun, with lots of laughter and stories shared by the cast," she explains. "Dynasty was so great to do because it was big drama with big shoulder pads and even bigger hair."
In the interview, Emma talks about how she first joined forces with the North Bristol NHS Trust, which is researching long Covid. "Fighting Covid-19 is at the forefront of everyone's priorities, especially mine," she says. "These doctors are stars in their field and funded by their local hospital charity trust, not the Government. I thought: 'How can I help?' The feeling of helplessness is quite overwhelming when you're unwell, so I want to raise funds to support their work."
Emma's fundraising Dynasty reunion takes place at 7pm on 20 March. To buy tickets, visit dynastyreunion.com.
To read the full article, pick up the new issue of HELLO! on sale on Monday.
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