She’s been the one helping others have their babies. Now, Joan faces her toughest battle yet when she has to give birth to her own love child.
This week’s season four premiere of Love Child picks up in 1972, eight months after the season three finale.
At the end of the season, Dr Joan Miller (Jessica Marais) learnt she was pregnant with Jim’s (Matthew Le Nevez) love child.
But, this week, Joan’s birth plans go out the window when she goes into labour early.
“It’s incredibly frustrating for Joan,” Jessica, 32, explains.
“She wants to be able to manage her pregnancy the way a doctor would. But the natural maternal instinct kicks in and she’s unable to control her baby’s birth.
“I think she feels fear − for the first time she’s being confronted.”
Jim is no longer on the scene, having fled Sydney with baby James. However, Joan isn’t entirely alone when she goes into labour.
The hunky new head of obstetrics, Dr Andrew Patterson (Dan Hamill), is on the scene. But will he help Joan deliver her bundle of joy?
This season, actor and singer Ronan Keating will also be joining the cast of Love Child.
Jessica admits she was “intimidated” filming scenes alongside Ronan Keating.
“But he was great fun to work with and made me feel incredibly comfortable,” she adds.
Last week Jessica Marais won the TV WEEK Logie Award for Best Actress.
It was a particularly special moment for Jessica, who was presented the award by her on-screen mother and former Packed To The Rafters co-star Rebecca Gibney.
“She just hugged me and said ‘I love you’,” Jessica says of the moment. “As soon as we catch up again, we just go straight back to mother and daughter stuff. She will forever be my mother.”