Star’s bloody Valentine on stage debut
SPUD MISHAP Claire
THE opening night of a Shirley Valentine play had to be suspended when lead actress Claire Sweeney cut her hand on stage – while peeling a potato.
The former Brookside star, 48, slashed her palm in a kitchen scene and had to leave to get patched up.
She reportedly said: “I am going to have to go off and get this sorted.”
The curtain came down and she reappeared bandaged up, but the cut reopened and a plaster was thrown from the audience.
Sweeney completed the show and got a standing ovation at the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham, Glos, on Thursday night.
The theatre said she was in “good spirits” and audience member Sharon Foote said: “Huge kudos to Claire for continuing.”
Alison is a hit on telly
NEW WAY RBS and NatWest
The star said that Maria, who was a single mother, was her “greatest inspiration”.
Alison, who was born and raised in Birmingham and has a 13-year-old son, said in 2018: “She brought up three children on her own. She’s always there for me... always there for everybody.
“She got me into this [showbiz]. Instead of me standing on the streets, she got me into drama school.
“She’s my biggest supporter, she’s never missed a thing. She talks about me all the time. It must be so boring for people.”
Alison became famous in 2002 when she appeared on reality show Big Brother. She also had a stint in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2010, and is a fan favourite on This Morning.
Her easy-going manner and rapport with Hollywood A-listers has also resulted in her getting her own show, Alison Hammond’s Happy Hour.
A source said previously: “Producers have been increasingly impressed with her prowess at interviewing stars. Her down-to-earth and quick-witted personality have made her a hit with viewers.”
Alison has insisted she has no grand plan, saying: “I just ride the waves and see what happens.”
ALISON HAMMOND PAYS TRIBUTE TO HER MOTHER
RIP my best friend and living angel, please come to my dreams