Emmerdale star Isabel Hodgins has opened up about why she remains committed to her weight training at the gym, as her due date approaches.

The actress, 31, gained widespread recognition when she joined the ITV soap in 2006, portraying the role of Victoria Sugden. Since then, her character has been at the centre of numerous major storylines.

However, away from the bright lights of Emmerdale, soap star Isabel revealed that she and her new husband, Adam Whitehead, are expecting their first child together, just a few months after they got married.

Isabel and Adam were married in a dreamy ceremony at Castlefield Rooms in Manchester city centre in April. And their love story continues to blossom, with Isabel announcing her pregnancy news in August.

 

On Instagram, the soap star shared a photo of her and Adam holding the scan and penned: “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes… Baby Whitehead.”

Isabel regularly gives fans an insight into her private life away from the ITV soap, including updates on her relationships, pregnancy, and health regimes.

Taking to Instagram, Isobel’s growing baby bump was visible as she shared a video of herself working out at the gym. She has explained her reasons for strength training while seven months pregnant.

She captioned the post: “Here’s why I still weight train 28 weeks pregnant. 1. Helps prepare my body for labour, 2. Helps my mental health, 3. Quality time with my dad, 4. Aids with recovery post birth .”

Isabel’s post was met with a flurry of support from her Emmerdale co-stars, with Kerry Wyatt, played by Laura Norton, writing: “Clever girl (love heart).”

Kevin Mathurin, who plays Charles Anderson, stated: “So much respect, young lady”, while Aaron Dingle actor Danny Miller exclaimed: “Absolutely bang on!! Go on girl!!”.

Another follower added: “Absolutely smashing it! I’m 32 weeks and still doing regular strength training in the gym.”

Isobel’s post comes after she faced criticism after previously sharing her gym routine with social media followers. She captioned the post: “Gym with bump. Eating for two. Training for two.”

However, some of her followers shared their concerns, with one person writing: “Be careful”. Another added: “Careful, you’ll do yourself a mischief the way you’re lifting that last lot of weights”. A third mused: “Love this video too, just be careful, darling, especially with the bump.”

Isabel recently hinted at taking a temporary break from Emmerdale to focus on motherhood. Discussing this decision, the ITV actress told The Mirror in August: “I will miss it. I love the people there, but I’ve worked there for 19 years, so I feel like I’ve done what I’ve wanted to do and been selfish with my career.

Isabel continued: “Now, it’s time to devote my life to being a mum, that feels right to me. But there’s still FaceTime, so they won’t forget me!”