After a turbulent month, Emmerdale's Ali and Ruby are finally set to tie the knot.

But in true soap wedding style, there's drama in store, as actress Alicya Eyo tells Jeananne Craig

EMMERDALE'S Ruby Haswell always dreamt of a big white wedding, so the soap's costume department pulled out all the stops to give the character a stunning sweetheart-necklined, full-skirted confection for her nuptials to Ali Spencer.

Things weren't so picture-perfect behind the scenes, however, for Alicya Eyo, who plays waitress Ruby, and co-star Kelli Hollis, who plays her factory worker fiancee.

"On the takes, we obviously put our heels on, but between takes, you look down and we've both got these crazy big boots on to keep our feet warm - boots that they probably wear in the Antarctic," Eyo says, hooting with laughter.

And while the actress "loved" Ruby's dress, she confesses: "I couldn't breathe for the whole day, but that was fine. It took a lot of hoicking up, let's put it that way!"

It's been a tough few weeks for Ruby and Ali, following the recent revelation that Ali had a one-night-stand with ex-husband Dom (and briefly thought she might be pregnant). In the aftermath of the bombshell, Ruby left the village to stay with friends, before returning and reconciling with her partner.

Giggles aside, former Bad Girls actress Eyo and Shameless star Hollis found themselves welling up while filming the couple's big day, which sees Ali's son Sean (played by Luke Roskell) return from the army to give his mum away.

"From the moment we got dressed until we wrapped, it was emotional," says Eyo, 38. "We missed Luke and now he's all grown up. So it was emotional for the characters and for us, all at the same time. I had tissues and eyeliner constantly on hand."

In true soap wedding fashion, things don't go to plan. When it turns out that the registrar has died, vicar Harriet suggests the pair marry in the church. Fellow vicar Ashley is concerned, however, that they don't have the Bishop's permission. And just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, the police arrive.

"It's a right old palaver, I tell you!" says Eyo.

She and Hollis have grown fond of their characters, which meant they were upset when the couple's relationship went on the rocks recently.

"We were, like, 'Oh no, don't break them up!' But it's real life, and no matter how strong a relationship is, there are going to be ups and downs."

Eyo, who was recently named Entertainer of the Year at the gay rights charity Stonewall Awards, admits she wasn't sure what some fans of the soap would make of a lesbian couple in the Dales.

"But you know what? The most amazing comments come from 80-year-old ladies in Asda who stop me and go, 'Oh, I hope you have that baby', and, 'When are you going to get married?' They're so supportive of the relationship. It's been overwhelming.

"Soaps keep up with the times," she adds. "It's an organic process for all soaps to have gay characters in them.

"That's what I really liked about [Ruby and Ali]. It was secondary that they're a lesbian couple; first of all they're just a couple trying to make a life for themselves."

Eyo also still gets recognised for her role in former ITV drama Bad Girls, in which she played inmate Denny Blood.

"It's repeated and a whole new audience of young people are watching it," she notes.

"It's great that it's still out there and sending strong messages, it's still a good show and something I'm proud of."

Home for Eyo is now Leeds, where she rents a house with friend and co-star Liam Fox, who plays Dan Spencer ("we call it Casa Spencer!"), and she plans to stay on Emmerdale "for the near future, anyway".

"I love this job and I'm happy to be here for as long as they'll have me," she says.