Interview: Maria's Dating Disasters
Maria has never truly been lucky in love but is this about to change with a new romance?
Samia Longchambon gives us her thoughts on Maria's potted dating history...
Maria has been a bit down recently and tries her hand at internet dating, how does that go for her?
She starts going on these weird and wonderful dates but it doesn’t last more than one date per guy, they’re all really random! The first one brings along his mum and she’s quite insulting to Maria, saying she’s quite ordinary looking so she’s straight out the door. There’s one date she has whose girlfriends have all died under suspicious circumstances and all of their names end with the letter ‘a’. Maria literally legs it out of the bistro. And then there’s another guy who likes to dress as a dog. Maria thinks he is a goth because he has a collar on so she says she is into that as well. She tells him she used to work at the kennels and was barking around – she meant to music but he thought literally barking! He thinks she’s the perfect woman.
Ali’s in the Bistro the night that Maria has the date with Rex, how does he react?
By the time Maria has realised what he’s really into she just wants to leave. Ali offers a doggy bag and Maria’s annoyed at him making fun of the situation.
Are you enjoying playing the comedy?
Yes, it’s like a breath of fresh air to be able to smile and show Maria’s fun side again.
Ali goes to apologise (with wine!) which always leads somewhere doesn’t it?
Yeah, especially on Maria’s couch! He comes round to apologise as she thinks he is making fun of her love life. They end up having a couple of bottles and they start having a little dance. She says he is really uptight and needs to loosen up a bit.
Could there be a relationship on the cards with Ali?
They have a kiss! There is something simmering, it’s more whether Maria can act on it as she doesn’t want to upset Michelle, it’s all quite close to home.
Do you think they’re a good match?
I think so. They’re both single for a start so she’s not starting off her usual way which is to have an affair with him! He seems to really like her and he’s not bothered by the fact she’s got Liam so we’ll see.
Would you like Maria to have a stable love life?
For a bit, but it never really ends well with Maria and that’s part of the fun of playing her. She’s not a bad girl, she just makes very bad choices, but it’s always fun to play.
Is there a story you’d like for her?
A happy relationship would be a new one. I always leave it up to the writers – they’re so good with what they throw at us. Maria has been through so much, it’s been quite colourful.
Can Ali and Maria go the distance?
You’ll have to wait and see, the distance is never that far with Maria!