Life lessons with Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley
Emmerdale star Lisa Riley (44), chats about why her beloved late mum, Cath, will always be a big part of her life, standing up to bullies and why being different is brilliant…
■ Celebrate being you
I love playing Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale because she is a true Northern woman and she’s different. I want to be individual too. Being individual is brilliant and I do believe there has to be something to cater for everyone on TV. I love television that is raw and dramas where people aren’t always thin.
■ Mum is my angel
Mum will always be a big part of my life. I think about my mum Cath (who died in 2012 at the age of 58) every day. She is my lovely angel and whenever we are doing any emotional scenes on Emmerdale she is there with me. If I can use my personal pain to bring out my best acting, I’m happy.
■ Cherish every day
I live life to the absolute fullest. I sometimes say to my colleague, Bradley Johnson (who plays Mandy’s son,
Vinny) what would happen if history repeated itself and I died at my mum’s age and he wells up, telling me not to say it. But that is why I live life to the full because I want to enjoy every day.
■ I’m nothing like Mandy!
I’m the exact opposite of my soap character who has been busy planning her wedding. I definitely don’t want a brash wedding in real life! Al (my fiancé who I got engaged to in 2018) and I don’t want a big white wedding but I don’t think anyone can make any plans at the moment. But that’s fine; we are happier than we have ever been. We like nothing better than being at home together. That is what makes us a happy couple.
■ Not having children is still a stigma
It didn’t work out for me to have children but I truly believe this was just the card I was dealt. Now I want to be the best auntie I can ever be and I love hearing about other people’s children. People talk about how close I was to my own mum and of course there are times when I sit and think, ‘Oh what would it be like if my little boy or girl were here’ but I am fine with it. If people ask how my children are and I tell them I haven’t got any, you can hear that awkward nugget going through their stomach. But we’re happy and Al and I have been able to travel to so many wild places on the planet.
■ I can’t wait to see Dad again
My family mean the world to me and I’ve not seen my dad since Christmas Day. We are always normally together and I got quite emotional when he had the vaccine as I am hoping I can see him now soon. We have been Facetiming every day until we can see each other again. My big dream is to go away with him and my family in July for my 45th birthday.
■ Emmerdale airs every weekday on ITV at 7pm and on Thursdays at 8pm
■ Lisa was talking to Christine Smith