CATHY ROCKS OUT
Star quits hit TV3 series for BBC & RTE acting roles
RED Rock star Cathy Belton has revealed she’s quitting the hit show to pursue other projects.
Cathy, who plays matriarch Patricia Hennessy in the TV3 series, has landed a role in upcoming BBC period drama The Woman In White.
And she is Alison Spittle’s mother in the RTE comedy series Nowhere Fast, hitting our screens next month.
Cathy said: “We’re in the middle of filming the big final two shows for season three. It’s up to the powers that be to decide whether it continues after that.
“To think of how well Red Rock was received in the UK with over a million people tuning into each day on the BBC, I’m so proud.
“But I’m moving on anyways, I’m going into a new play written by Mark O’roe called The Approach and it’s written for three women with Landmark Productions and we’ll go into that in January.”
And next year is a busy one for the Galway star who is set to marry her long-term partner Brian Roe.
She added: “I’m engaged, we’re getting married next summer in France.
“Brian is the love of my life and god bless him he’s outside this business and he’s my soulmate.” Weighing in on the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, the IFTA nominated actress said men’s attitude to women needs to change.
Cathy added: “I think it’s shocking and disgusting but it’s great that it’s all coming to the fore and let the clean out continue. I’m very proud of the women for speaking out, they’re pioneers.”
She said she has not experienced sexual harassment on our shores but feels it’s prevalent everywhere else.
Cathy added: “I’ve been very lucky, I’ve always been treated with respect but that’s not to say I haven’t experienced it around me, I think it’s everywhere.
“I think it’s an attitude that has to change, I think we have to get down to the base level of it that it’s in every business. Let it be a memorable year for women, this is where the tide is turning, I will stand by these women and men’s attitude has to change.”
The actress insisted “bull-headedness” has helped her secure longevity in the fickle acting business.
Cathy said: “It’s a tough business to crack, you never know the next project, you have to have such inner confidence which as actors we don’t have. My secret to working in the business for over 20 years is sheer bullheadedness.”