Roxanne Pallett purple bikini bath Photos

Roxanne Pallett

Roxanne Pallett may be away from our TV screens at the moment, but the actress showed she's still capable of turning heads as she holidays in Malta.

Enjoying a break on the sunny Mediterranean island, the former Emmerdale beauty, 27, topped up her tan in a purple bikini.

Soaking up the atmosphere at the Fortuna spa hotel, Pallett placed a flower in her hair as she cooled off in the swimming pool.

Pallett was enjoying a last-minute break in Malta before she embarked on the UK theatre tour of Fifties musical Rock Around The Clock.

The former Dancing On Ice star plays a lovelorn girl besotted with a teddy boy in the 16-date tour.

The production sees Pallett tackle the challenging song At Last, famously sang by Etta James.

After Rock Around The Clock, Pallett will join former Coronation Street star Nikki Sanderson and ex-Brookside actress Sue Jenkins in the autumn tour of The Vagina Monologues.

Roxanne Pallett

Roxanne Pallett

She will next be seen on the small screen in Casualty in July and will also be starring in horror film Lake Placid 3 later this year.

Pallett leaped to fame in 2005 playing man-eater Jo Stiles in Emmerdale.

But audiences watched the feisty character turned into a scared, battered wife as husband Andy Sugden turned violent on her after his release from prison.

Pallett ended up leaving the show when Jo made a run for it in December 2008.

Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett says 'I put on a stone after my break-up...

Emmerdale's Roxanne Pallett has confessed to gaining a stone - and two dress sizes - after turning to ice cream to help mend her broken heart.

Since her relationship with Richard Fleeshman ended last year, Roxanne had gone from 8st to 9st and a size six to a size 10.

The petite star, who is 5ft 2in, told Closer Magazine: 'Instead of going home to my boyfriend I now go home to a tub of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.'

Weakness for ice cream: Roxanne Pallett at the TV Quick Awards in September, left, after putting on a stone, and before her weight gain, right, in April

She added: 'And I live alone so there's nobody telling me to stop eating. The other day I was horrified when I struggled to zip up a pair of size ten jeans.'

But Roxanne is dealing with her weight gain sensibly and the 25-year-old says she is keeping it in perspective.

'I'm not too bothered, though. A size 10 is hardly huge. But I'd like to lose the weight in the new year so I can fit back into my clothes!'

Roxanne's Emmerdale character Jo is the victim of domestic abuse, and filming the scenes has led to her eating more.

'I'm working 12 hours a day doing emotionally draining scenes,' she explained. 'So to deal with it I've been treating myself to crisps or chocolate on set and puddings when I get home.'

Roxanne is supporting Cancer Research UK's breast cancer awareness campaign.