Claire King has admitted she is not one to worry if someone whistled at her on the street.
The 61-year-old actress, who plays Kim Tate in Emmerdale, also opened up about her chronic illness and how it affects her daily life at work.
Speak with The sunClaire said: 'If someone whistles at me from a scaffold, I just stand there, whistle back and tell them to keep going! I'm more of a Gilf than a MILF.
“And it's the younger fans who didn't really remember Kim from the first time that absolutely love her.
“It's good for them too, especially in this age of social media, to see a woman who stands up for herself, is independent and doesn't use BS.” I think that's why they love her so much.'
Claire King, 61, has admitted she's not one to worry if someone wolf-whistles her on the street (pictured in Lorraine last month)
The actress, who plays Kim Tate in Emmerdale, also opened up about her chronic illness and how it affects her daily life at work.
Claire, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years, says she finds it extremely difficult to wear high heels on the soap's set because of the condition.
The soap star revealed that she has metal pins in her hands to help her.
It comes after she revealed that before landing a role in Emmerdale she left several castings with sleazy directors who hosted them in hotel rooms.
She spoke about her experiences as a woman in the television industry, recalling countless times when she left castings because “I don't think any job is worth it.”
Speak with The sun on Sundayshe explained that she often arrived at hotel rooms for castings wondering if it was right, describing it as a “major blackmail threat” from people telling her “you won't get the job unless you…”.
'There is always someone behind you who wants that, someone who fills your boots. I was strong enough to say, 'I don't need this part so much, I'm out of here.'
But Claire revealed she has never received a proposal, which she believes is because she doesn't allow the situation to escalate to that point, but she knows many friends who have.
She revealed that since being cast in Emmerdale, first appearing in 1989, and Bad Girls, she has not had to attend any more castings.
Speaking to The Sun, Claire said: 'If someone whistles at me from a scaffold I just stand there, whistle back and tell them to keep going! I'm more of a Gilf than a MILF
Claire, who has suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 35 years, has said she finds it extremely difficult to wear high heels on the set of the soap due to the condition (pictured in 1999)
It comes after the 2006 Strictly contestant touched on her experiences as a woman in the television industry, recalling numerous times when she left castings because 'I don't think any job is worth that'.
Terrible: Claire explained she often had to shake off sexism as she worked her way through the industry and recently faced ageism (pictured in Emmerdale)
And it didn't just end with castings; Claire explained that she often had to shake off sexism as she navigated the industry and more recently faced ageism.
While she acknowledges there is still more to do to improve racism, homophobia and sexism in the industry, she believes this may have gone too far due to the fear of offending someone with “a bit of banter.”
The 2006 Strictly contestant revealed that some of the conversations she has with co-star Dean Andrew, who plays Will Taylor in the soap, may shock some people.
Claire also spoke of her frustration with people not following government guidelines on coronavirus, after having to shield for six months due to rheumatoid arthritis.
Earlier this year, Claire revealed she is glad social distancing restrictions during the pandemic have put an end to on-screen intimacy as she believes she is too old for sex scenes.
The Kim Tate actress said she would like to hand over the “snoggy scenes” to her younger co-stars, stating, “I leave that to the young people these days.”
Claire's character Kim recently struck up a romance with Will Taylor in the village, but scenes where the couple get physically close will not be seen as all actors must stay two meters apart to comply with the rules.
And Claire admitted she's relieved she doesn't have to film raunchy scenes like she used to.
During her early years in the Dales, her feisty character was known for her steamy bedroom romps, especially with former lover Dave Glover (Ian Kelsey) (pictured in 1996)
Claire revealed that she is keen to hand over the 'snoggy scenes' to her younger co-stars, as she stated: 'I leave that to the young ones these days
She said OK! magazine: 'The lack of intimacy on screen has to do with the coronavirus and social distancing, because we film with the two-meter rule. But I have to say, at my age, I'm kind of glad I don't have to do bedroom scenes and snoggy scenes, you know what I mean?
'Nowadays I leave that to the young people. I think people want to see young people doing it, not older people, when I review it on Twitter or something like that!
'It's just nice to work with good professionals, with whom you get along well and with whom you can chat a bit. I think I've gotten rid of that a bit now.'