Poldark's Heida Reed fed up of getting the blame from fans for storyline

Poldark star Heida Reed would like to have been an actress before the internet was invented because of the criticism she receives online from fans.

Reed plays Ross Poldark's childhood sweetheart Elizabeth Chynoweth in the hit BBC show, who married his cousin Francis while he was away fighting in the American War of Independence, and she says she receives her share of negative feedback from the drama's devoted followers.

She told the Radio Times: "Everyone thinks Ross Poldark is so perfect and nothing is his fault.

"When it comes to Ross and Elizabeth, everybody blames the woman."

She added: "It ebbs and flows, I guess.

"I said to my manager one time, 'I want to be an actress in the 90s, before broadband'. And he's like, 'Well, tough. You're not'."

Reed said things will get even worse for her during the next series, which kicked off on Sunday.

In the episode Elizabeth, who is now married to Ross's great enemy George Warleggan, refused Ross's help and gave birth to a child that could be the product of the controversial rape scene in the second series.

She said: "If people felt bad about me before, I predict they're going to feel even worse about me this season.

"I don't think Elizabeth has a very clear feeling about the paternity of her child, because it's so terrifying to her that it might not be George's.

"If it isn't and it gets found out, she is in so much trouble. I mean, her life is over.

"So she struggles to connect with the baby and a governess arrives to look after Geoffrey Charles (the son she had with her first husband, Francis), the one real, true, pure connection that she has.

"She fades, she gets colder, loses patience and loses empathy.

"So I really don't see Ross's fans warming up to her, but I hope that, once she's gone through her journey, they see the beautiful sadness in her life."

The full interview is in the Radio Times, which is on sale now.