Casualty fans met Rosie in the latest instalment of the long-running BBC medical drama, who is the mother of the surrogate child Nicole Piper (played by Sammy T Dobson) is carrying. While the junior doctor appeared happy to see her friend one person who was somewhat put out was nurse Ngozi Okoye (Adesuwa Oni), who bonded with the young medic in recent weeks and accompanied her to her scan before having to leave when she was ousted by Rosie.

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk about the storyline actress Adesuwa said it illustrated Ngozi’s “weaknesses and vulnerabilities.” She said: “I think it’s interesting because she has come into… A new world as such.

“And finding your footing by being of use and being needed by certain people and then suddenly realising that people had whole worlds going on their own long before you you came,” she pointed out. “And you have to find a way to be okay with that,” she said, detailing Ngozi’s struggle.

“So I think it’s really nice because it starts to show a bit more of Ngozi’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities and the things that make her feel unfooted. Because most of the time she’s quite right-footed, especially in the ED.”

The pair have bonded over children ever since Nicole learned that Ngozi has a young son at home in Nigeria. As Nicole has been struggling through the surrogate pregnancy on her own until now Ngozi has been a support.

Nicole Piper and Ngozi Okoye talking

“The fact that her son is at home with his family, her auntie, it just explains a lot about how much she [Ngozi] probably had to go through by herself,” Adesuwa explained.

“And she loves a ‘project’ – I put that in quotation marks. She loves the person that she can help.

“And seeing, Nicole go through all this and technically going through all this by herself she knows immediately she has to reach out and help her.

“So it just makes sense that that’s the person she would extend the hand of friendship to,” she considered.

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With Nicole’s surrogacy storyline in its infancy, there is sure to be more drama ahead but Adesuwa won’t reveal if Ngozi works through her issues. However, she did intimate that both she and Sammy T Dobson are thoroughly enjoying working together.

“I’m just so appreciative that the audience is getting behind the relationship and actually buying into it.

“All I know is that Sammy and I really appreciate the opportunity to have this kind of relationship to play. It’s an honor to get to do this and I’m praying that it resonates with people.

“I just want us to make sure we represent a human relationship that people can tap into and say I recognise that.”