Celebrity charlie Brooks: ‘Never say never to Janine coming back!’
Former Eastenders star Charlie Brooks reveals how she juggles motherhood, fame and dating
She won plenty of awards for her role as bad girl Janine Butcher in
Eastenders, including British Soap awards Villain of the Year (2004) and Best Exit (2005). But Charlie Brooks, 37, says becoming a parent to 13-year-old daughter Kiki, who she had with former partner Tony Truman, is her proudest achievement yet. Currently on the road with her touring production of Monogamy, she tells us all about her parenting battles, stepping out of her comfort zone and her dream job…
‘I’m glad social media wasn’t around when I started in
Eastenders. I’ll use it as a vehicle for the plays I’m in – I put the odd thing on there, but I don’t really look through it. It may have impacted me very differently on a much younger head. It’s a dangerous minefield and unmanageable – I don’t know how to control it. Kiki has social media. She’s 14 this year. I monitor it when I can, but then you have to respect their privacy. Sometimes they create secret accounts and it’s a nightmare.’ ‘You feel like you can do anything after you’ve been a mother. It’s very empowering and quite difficult and challenging, and that’s your number-one job.’
‘I’m currently single.
Sometimes I do [find it harder to meet people being a parent and famous]. Sometimes I meet guys, but I’m not really interested at the moment.’ ‘Kiki loves watching me on stage. She’s been through everything I’ve done. She helps me learn my lines, if the language is appropriate. She’s showing signs of the acting bug, big time, and I’d be happy for her to follow in my footsteps. She’d love to be on Broadway – I’ve never done it, but I’d love to do a little play off Broadway and live in New York. I’d be serious “mum goals”.’ ‘I star in a new play called Monogamy, by a writer called Torben Betts and it’s an exploration of people and relationships. I play the wife, Sally. It’s set in a celebrity chef’s kitchen and it’s what goes on after the cameras stop rolling – she’s having an affair with my husband, Mike [Patrick Ryecart]. It’s a
‘You feel You can do anything’