EXCLUSIVE: Casualty star Elinor Lawless spoke to Express.co.uk about what her character is currently going thorough.

Casualty star Elinor Lawless, who plays Stevie Nash in the long running BBC medical drama, recently opened up to Express.co.uk about her character’s current storyline. Across the past several weeks, viewers have watched as she crumbles – traumatised by the violence she has witnessed in the ED.

Tonight’s (February 24) episode gives a further insight into Stevie’s background as we learn about an incident from her past as a teen in Northern Ireland that deeply affected her. Elinor acknowledges that it isn’t just recent events that have contributed to her fragile mental state.

“I think I think you know, at the at the outset of this the whole history of violence story the kind of the catalyst for all of this is Ryan’s attack. And I think what we discover [tonight is] the origin of Stevie’s relationship with the idea of conflict and violence and helplessness and fear,” she ruminated.

“That’s kind of the beginning of that – we start to see the whys and the wherefores of Stevie’s, I guess, relationship with the idea of conflict and [it goes] some of the way towards explaining why her response to Ryan’s attack is so seemingly black and white.

“And her kind of shutting down when it comes to zero tolerance. You kind of get a sense of where that idea of, that zero tolerance on Stevie’s part, comes from.”

Stevie Nash has been struggling in Casualtyafter multiple attacks on staff in the ED (Image: BBC)

Young nurse Ryan Firth (Eddie-Joe Robinson) was recently viciously attacked in work when a man became irate after his mother had died and he went on a rant, blaming the hospital.

As Ryan attempted to empathise, the man pounced on him, giving him a violent beating. Ryan was taken to the operating theatre with a ruptured spleen as Stevie broke the news to the rest of the department, and she’s been deeply troubled ever since.

She has implemented a zero tolerance policy in the ED meaning that the staff can refuse to treat anyone who shows signs of agression. Unfortunately, that has had fatal consqeunces and has proved contentious with some staff.

“I think what you realise with Stevie is that there is a huge vulnerability there,” Elinor said. And I think…her Achilles heel is a sense of protectiveness, and a sense of loyalty. And she’s really targeted when it comes to what she thinks is right.”

Stevie Nash’s zero tolerance policy has divided opinion with the staff of Holby ED in Casualty (Image: BBC)

Amicable and chatty Elinor is a million miles from the stressed and traumatised Stevie, and clearly feels the responsibilty of the role.

Pondering on the fact that Casualty is highlighting this serious issue of abuse towards hosptial staff, she explained: “The NHS is our… is the protagonist. I mean the ED is the protagonist and I think we have a duty to show that – warts and all.

“I think there’s kind of no point of giving a hallmark version of that because ultimately when entertainment and drama and art is at its best, we want something that we can we connect with something we can recognise.

“And one thing that we will all have in common is that we will have that hospital experience at some point or another it’s inevitable,” she said.