"My baby was a real drama", says Wild At Heart actress Dawn as she was forced to abandon filming to give birth

Wild at Heart actress Dawn Steele has revealed how she was forced to abandon filming the new series of the hit TV drama to dash back to Britain for the birth of her first child.

The star, who plays vet Alice Trevanion, suffered a series of pregnancy complications while shooting scenes in South Africa.

Ms Steele, 36, was told by doctors to take complete rest after being diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition called placenta previa – where the placenta grows over the opening of the cervix, making natural birth difficult.

Complications: Dawn Steele cut short filming to give birth to daughter Coco

Ms Steele, pictured with actor Stephen Tompkinson as Danny Trevanion had her pregnancy written into the script with her character Alice due to 'give birth' as part of the season finale

When the condition failed to improve, she had to cut short filming and fly back to Britain where she gave birth to daughter Coco two weeks prematurely on November 9.

The drama returns tonight, and Ms Steele had her pregnancy written into the script with Alice due to 'give birth' as part of the season finale.

But the scripts were hastily rewritten to allow her to leave the programme after filming only a handful of scenes.

She said: 'The plan had been that my character would have her baby in the series, but it was not to be.
'I went to hospital and I was put on bed rest for a few days.

'I wanted to have a natural birth and it took me a while to get my head around that I was going to have a C-section.

Having the caesarean was pretty amazing.'

Ms Steele suffered further complications requiring a blood transfusion after losing two and a half litres of blood following the C-section.

But now the actress says that she is keen to reprise her role in the programme.

She said: 'The way I left was quite rushed, and I'd hate to think that was the end for me after four series.'

See the full interview in Hello magazine out on January 10.

The actress is keen to reprise her role in the programme following the birth of her daughter