Why Cheat's Katherine Kelly wasn't embarrassed by masturbation scene
Cheat star Katherine Kelly has opened up about filming the masturbation scene in the ITV drama's first episode, explaining that she wasn't embarrassed about it at all.
The first episode of ITV's new drama surprised fans when Katherin's character Dr Leah Dale could be seen retreating to the communal university toilets for a bit of self-relief.
And, speaking recently, Kelly said that being used to filming sex scenes and going through childbirth has stunted any self-consciousness she may have had about it, adding that the scene "felt right" to the character and to the script.
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"It really takes a lot for me to be embarrassed," she told The Sun. "I have done sex scenes a lot before, I had my fair share of them in Mr Selfridge.
"I have had two children and after childbirth, you are not embarrassed by anything," she added. "Also the practicalities of what goes on in a room is so clinical. It was a hot day, the room was blacked out and we were so hot because we had this massive duvet on us. There were 20 people in the room."
Katherine continued to discuss the scene itself and what's going on in Leah's mind, adding: "The masturbating scene happens so early. I didn’t want people to turn it off.
"You only get embarrassed when it doesn’t feel right, but I thought, reading the script, well women masturbate as much as men right. She is so frustrated and so pent up, I could see why that would be her only release. She is trying for a baby, she can’t even have a drink."
Cheat, which is airing on ITV nightly this week, centres on the dangerous relationship between university professor Leah (Kelly), and her student Rose (Molly Windsor), who she suspects of cheating on her dissertation.
Explaining why it's being aired consecutively, rather than weekly, Katherine argued that it would "lose momentum" if there were one-week breaks between episodes.
"There are too many twists and turns to sustain a week away from it," she said. "It’s so quick and the stakes ramp up so quickly, so it needs to be consecutive nights."
Speaking recently to Digital Spy and other media, Kelly also revealed why she was drawn to the character of Leah, saying that she "loved how complicated Leah was".
"She is studying the theories of human beings, and I thought that was a great layer that we could constantly go back to, that she knows all this in theory... but actually doesn't know any of it in practice," she added.
Cheat continues tonight (March 13) at 9pm on ITV.
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