ON THE COVER Making Brave Choices At 50! Fay Ripley
Fay Ripley and Hermione Norris take us on another Cold Feet emotional rollercoaster
ITV’s comedy drama ColdFeet is delivering more drama than comedy this season. It was heart-breaking to see Jenny Gifford (Fay Ripley) suffering in silence after her breast cancer diagnosis, unable at first to share the news with her husband Pete (John Thomson) or close friends.
Compounding the tragedy of the situation is how closely it mirrored real life for Fay Ripley. When it came to portraying Jenny’s situation accurately, says actress Fay, she had no need to read up about breast cancer and its effects. “No research required, because I’ve got family and friends with breast cancer and cancer in general,” sighs Fay, 52. “I just wanted the storyline dealt with properly because of the weight of that responsibility. It’s something we all know about because, sadly, that is life at this moment. So I just wanted to do it right.”
Of course, Jenny’s decision to keep the news to herself threw a curveball into the usual trajectory of such plots, when friends and family rally around the victim. Fay says she hopes that Cold Feet’s approach “slightly surprised” the audience. “What I hope to achieve is something that everyone can relate to,” continues Fay. “Keeping it secret was maybe not the kindest thing for her husband, but in a way it was like her saying, ‘I don’t know what to do, because, guess what? I’m making this up as I go along. I’ve never had cancer before.’”
We’re meeting at a launch party, where Fay is beautifully turned out in a smart blue dress and as naturally funny as her character Jenny, only in her native London accent, rather than Jenny’s Mancunian twang. The two share another similarity – both are happily married mums of two children, Jenny to Pete, Fay to Catastrophe actor Daniel Lapaine, her husband since 2001.
Fay says she appreciates ColdFeet’s realistic portrayal of Jenny and Pete’s marriage. “Even though they’re in a good place, she’s always irritated by him, she’s always criticising him and he’s always huffing and puffing,” she muses. “There’s a reality there where people can see life’s not a bed of roses, but there are great things in there and that’s why you would stay with a marriage.”
Fay quips that it spills over into her friendship with co-star John Thomson. “We’re not hiding away from the difficult stuff in that marriage, and I continue to try to be as annoying as possible to John, in character and out of character. I think I’m doing a pretty good job!”
Jenny is an inspirational character in another way. As a mature university student, she’s showing audiences that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
“The thing about that storyline is to say you don’t hit 50 and then have to retire – you can make new and
The characters are realistic; life’s not a bed of roses, but great things are there
brave choices,” says Fay. “I mean, my sister went and got a first at university, but not until she was in her thirties. In another life I probably would have gone back to education, but due to extreme laziness I haven’t done that.”
Fay shouldn’t beat herself up too much – she did branch out from acting and reinvented herself as a celebrity cook, writing three best-selling cookbooks between 2009-14.
Although Fay’s acting career has thrived away from ColdFeet – she co-starred with Martin Clunes in the rebooted ReggiePerrin (2009-10) and in Channel 5’s detective series Suspects (2014-15) – Jenny Gifford remains the role she’s best known for. Fay brings an earthy charm to straighttalking Jenny, who remains the show’s beating heart in this new rebooted series.
And what makes ColdFeet so appealing to audiences is its celebration of friendship through thick and thin. It resonates with Fay.
“I’ve got a really close group of friends,” she says. “We’re going out tonight. I haven’t got time and I’ve got a lot on tomorrow, but I just want to see these people’s faces. This is my group – my family, essentially.
“That’s the thing about ColdFeet. As you get older, basically, your friends become your family. And if you’re lucky enough to have friends you can rely on, that’s what sees you through.”