My Mad Fat Diary's Sharon Rooney: 'Gay storyline was my favourite'

My Mad Fat Diary

star Sharon Rooney has revealed that Archie’s gay storyline is her favourite plot in the series so far.

Speaking in the new issue of aTEEN , the Scottish actress – who plays the show’s protagonist Rae Earl – praised her co-star Dan Cohen for how he handled the storyline, which saw his character rebuff Rae’s advances and eventually fall victim to homophobic bullying and abuse.

Asked about her favourite memories of the show, which returns for a third and final series on E4 tonight (June 22), Rooney replied: “I’ve loved all of it. I really liked when Rae was in love with Archie and finding out he was gay.

The 26-year-old added: “Dan Cohen played it perfectly.”

Set in Lincolnshire in the mid-1990s and based on a book of the same name by Rae Earl, My Mad Fat Diary follows Rae’s life as a 16-year-old, 16-stone girl, as she reconnects with friends after leaving a psychiatric hospital.

Admitting the her times on the show has taught her a great deal about mental illness, Rooney said: “I didn’t know as much as I know now. I did a lot of research into different illnesses and spoke to a lot of people about their experiences.

“It was very important to me that I played someone truthfully. I’ve learnt a lot about mental health and what people go through on a daily basis.

The 26-year-old, who received a BAFTA nomination at the British Academy Scotland Awards for her role as Rae, added that she was touched that the show had helped other struggling teens with their own acceptance issues.

“[The feedback has] been really positive which is great – a lot of personal experiences, which is a bit of an honour for me that they want to tell me about it. Well of course they found it difficult – if you’re having a hard time it’s going to be awful.

“Finding out My Mad Fat Diary has helped someone ask for help, make a change or encourage them that’s it’s okay to be yourself is the best thing ever.”

My Mad Fat Diary returns to screens on tonight (June 22) on E4 at 10pm.

stereo cover

You can read the full interview with Sharon and her co-star Jodie Comer (Chloe) in the new issue aTEEN, available to download NOW from Pocketmags.com/aTEEN.

As well as a 55-page Stereo Kicks bonus magazine, featuring eight exclusive interviews and 70 brand new pictures of the boys, the new issue features X Factor’s Jake Quickenden, Cucumber’s Dino Fetscher, YouTube star Conor Franta, a big gay farewell to TV’s Glee and a host of real life stories told and problems solved.

My Mad Fat Diary’s Sharon Rooney: ‘Gay storyline was my favourite’

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