Rosie Marcel is seeing the positives attached to Holby City coming to an end, with the actress explaining how the end of the BBC series has allowed her to spend more time with her child

Rosie Marcel, the star of Holby City, has found a silver lining in the show’s cancellation, as it allowed her to embrace motherhood fully.

The BBC’s decision to axe the beloved medical drama after 23 years left fans devastated, but for Rosie, who played the formidable Jac Naylor, it meant a chance to connect with her nine year old daughter Beau like never before.

The 46 year old actress confessed: “I don’t think I became a mother until I left Holby City. I don’t think I really knew who I was, and I don’t think I really knew who my daughter was, until I was axed. My husband Ben [Stacey] did it all. I left the house first thing and was back really late. My character was incredibly popular so I was there all the time. It was very rare that I got time off.”

She continued, expressing gratitude despite the initial disappointment: “[So] I’m actually really grateful for it, because I probably would have stayed and I would have missed more.”

This candid reflection comes from an actress who was not only the face of Holby for 17 years but also one of the BBC’s highest-paid actresses until the show ended in March 2022. After returning to filming when Beau was just six months old, Rosie now relishes her role as a full-time mum and housewife.

“I really love my daughter and I love her company and I realise what I’ve missed out on. Motherhood is far more rewarding than acting, so it would have to be something incredibly worthy to take me away from this.”

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Now, she refers to herself as a chef, cleaner, chauffeur and the myriad other roles that all parents will recognise. However, Rosie can also add nurse to that list after Ben, 41, dramatically collapsed and nearly lost his life at Christmas due to a pulmonary embolism.

“It settled in the bottom of his lung and he got very sick,” she remembers. “We went to hospital and they gave him blood thinners and sent him home. In the night his lung collapsed. And we had to call an ambulance, because it was putting enormous strain on his heart. We’re lucky to have him. 70% of people die from what he had, so I’m very grateful that he’s still with us. I’m so glad that I wasn’t working, as it meant I was able to look after him. It was a good six weeks before he was able to go back to work.”

Former Holby City star has found a silver lining after the brutal axing of the medical drama (
Image:
BBC)

The star works with animal charity The Pack Project
Ben, the proprietor of a fitness centre, totally supports her decision not to rush any more acting projects. She said of him, “He works very hard and keeps us all afloat,” with a smile.

She added: “He’s a wonderful man and he’s said to me, ‘You’ve done enough. If you don’t want to work again that’s absolutely fine’.”

Nowadays, Rosie is juggling her obligations as an unpaid ambassador for The Pack Project, a charity stepping up to find new homes for abandoned dogs and cats from Romania in the UK, and managing the Hertfordshire abode she shares with Ben and Beau and their family composed of three dogs, two cats, eight chickens, two guinea fowls, and a group of ducks.

While Rosie used to involve Beau in photoshoots when she was merely a baby, she has now decided to keep her away from the spotlight. This is a stark contrast to her early life spent under the glare of the limelight as the daughter of famed television director Terry Marcel.

Rosie first graced the stage aged three as a fairy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The National Theatre.

Rosie Marcel working with animal charity The Pack Project
Speaking about her career she mentions, “Acting is something that I fell into at a very young age,” says Rosie. “It’s not something I could ever claim that I was completely in love with, it’s just something I was good at. I probably get more anxiety now when an audition comes in, than when it doesn’t. I don’t have this burning desire to find my next job. I should, because obviously it’s a great way to earn money and it’s a job I enjoy, but if I never did it again, I don’t think I’d miss it.”

Rosie Marcel, the star known for her role as Jac Naylor in Holby City, has been deeply involved with The Pack Project, which has successfully re-homed 1,200 dogs. She’s been a part of the initiative for four years and has just embarked on a journey to Romania with fellow Holby City alumni Guy Henry, Bob Barrett, and Sarah-Jane Potts.

They’re all part of a documentary she’s filming about their mission. Sharing her thoughts, Rosie revealed: “Guy has five rescue lurchers, so he will find it difficult. Bob will probably cry and SJ will be able to help with the breathing exercises we’ll need at the end of the day! “.

Rosie Marcel on a previous visit to Romania in 2019. The dogs outside are strays. Some in the pound and some at a shelter

Rosie says: “I’ve always been passionate about animals, I honestly prefer them to humans,”
This is Rosie’s second visit to Romania. “The first one took quite a long time to get over, because it’s so heart-breaking,” she admits.

“Unlike the UK, where, for example, Battersea re-homes 80,000 dogs a year, you don’t have a re-homing culture out there. So stray dogs walk in the road and people are running them over. There isn’t a real pet culture, so if people get bored of their dogs or they’re not useful to them anymore, they get kicked out.

“And if they’re then caught by the dog catchers, they’re given three weeks in the pound before they’re put to sleep.

“The pounds are disgusting and when we go in there are 400 dogs and 20-30 of them are puppies, but we can only save five. It makes me want to cry just thinking of it, because you know you’re walking away and they’re going to be put to sleep.

“We are going there because adoptions have fallen through the floor, so we’re making a documentary to really highlight the plight of the dogs and cats and how they are treated and hopefully find more homes in the UK for them.

“I’ve always been passionate about animals, I honestly prefer them to humans,” she admits. “Obviously, I love my family, but I’m one of those people who gets triggered by bad news and I find it very difficult to comprehend everything that’s going on in the world at the moment.

“I think that’s one of the reasons that I prefer animals, because they don’t purposefully do those terrible things. They’re more innocent.”

For more information or to adopt a stray or abandoned dog or cat from Romania contact: www.thepackproject.org

The trip is not just about the dogs; it’s a chance for a heartfelt reunion with her old castmates. Despite finding joy in her life after the show, Rosie still feels the sting from the BBC’s decision to cancel Holby City, expressing her disbelief: “I thought getting rid of it was a big mistake. It’s a show that could easily come back and continue.”