“I definitely spent the longest time in hair and make-up!”
liSa riley, 42, lives in london with her fiancé al. She plays Tina. When I received the Age Before Beauty script, it completely consumed me. The twists and the turns of the plot, Debbie’s incredible writing, the phenomenal cast – it was all there. Sue Johnston is a dear friend who I adore, and Robson and I both starred in Waterloo Road but never had any scenes together, so it was great to be able to work with him.
Tina is the second of four sisters and they all turn to her when they’re in need. She speaks the truth – sometimes too much! But actually, that’s what the sisters need. Tina’s mum, Ivy-Rae, has a very blunt attitude and Tina has definitely picked that up from her. The big twist comes later in the series and it’s a proper “What?” moment. You don’t see it coming at all.
Out of all the cast, I spent the longest time in hair and make-up. I had hand and wrist tattoos, which had to be redone more or less every day. I also had body, chest and arm tattoos, which lasted for about five showers. I had to go to my birthday party during filming with all these tattoos, which raised a few eyebrows!
Our obsession with looking young is a big theme in the show. I’ve been open about having skin surgery after losing 12 stone, but I haven’t, as yet, had Botox or fillers. It scares me how young people are going with it now – people talk about having a boob job like it’s popping to the shop for a pint of milk.