Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Dad suffered terrible racism.. I’m glad I get to tackle it in Corrie
Star Kate on family, her other jobs... and being a bride
CORRIE star Kate Spencer has revealed sickening racism endured by her dad – and says she is pleased the soap is tackling such issues.
Kate’s parents Don and Ann are both teachers and the actress grew up in a picture postcard village in Derbyshire.
She says her diligent dad would arrive at work early – but, unfairly, the colour of his skin aroused suspicion.
Kate, 29 – who plays Coronation Street schemer Grace Vickers – says: “He used to go into school really early and the police stopped him. He was dressed in a suit, but it was 6am and they thought he was breaking in.
“One time, when parked in the school playground, he had his car written off because n***a was keyed down one side of his car, the aerial was snapped off and all four tyres were punctured.
“He didn’t tell me everything, because he didn’t want to upset me or relive it – but there were occasions when it cropped up.”
Kate says her dad – the son of Jamaican immigrants – even advised her not to include a photo when seeking work as a teenager. She explains: “When I was applying for Saturday jobs at 16 and 17, my dad said ‘don’t put your picture on the CV’.
“It’s sad, but it was covering bases.
“He thought that potentially some people might not employ me, because I was an ethnically diverse person.”
Yet race was barely an issue for Grace and her sister Yasmin as they grew up.
They were among just five ethnic pupils at their 200-strong local primary school and they rarely experienced discrimination.
Kate adds: “Once I was playing in a park with my sister and some other children started saying they only liked white chocolate cookies, they didn’t like black chocolate cookies.
“That was the only occasion. I feel very fortunate, because I know a lot of other people might have struggled, but it didn’t hold us back.”
In 2019, Kate’s heritage was absolutely relevant as Coronation Street auditioned for a mixed race actress to play Grace.
As Britain celebrates Black History Month throughout October, Kate has nothing but praise for Corrie for raising awareness by tackling racism with its recent hardhitting storylines.
Her character was a victim of racial profiling by a store guard and unconscious bias led to the wrongful arrest of Grace’s on-off partner Michael and his brother James.
Kate says of the scriptwriters: “They’re doing a really good job of showing what is happening in the world.”
She says she has never experienced racism during her own career, adding: “I like to see the positives in people, so if something negative happened to me I would never assume it was racism.
“I’d just think they didn’t like me because they thought I was weird, or talked too much. I’ve been lucky working with several theatre companies that
My teacher dad arrived at school early.. police thought that he was breaking in KATE SPENCER ON RACIAL INSULTS FACED BY FATHER
have cast me in roles that are historically white. I think Grace is the first character I’ve played that is written as black or mixed race. She’s fun to play, because she’s so different to me.”
Grace is at the centre of a shocking storyline – cruelly blackmailing Ed and Aggie Bailey, who are grandparents to her daughter Glory.
Kate admits: “She’s very conniving; a dangerous individual. What she’s doing is blackmail and I find it really hard to find any justification.” It’s been a breakthrough two years for Kate – but she hasn’t yet given up her day job, working in the box office at Derby Theatre, while exercise is a big passion which keeps her busy too.
“Acting fulfils a lot of me, but it doesn’t fulfil all of me,” she explains.
“I like doing other things, so I currently work in a box office as well, with Coronation Street’s approval.
“I also mentor young people in foster care and I lecture at my old drama school. I really enjoy it. I learn a lot about myself and other people and the world.” Kate recently got engaged to Formula One performance coach Paul Walker and they plan to tie the knot next year.
On screen, Grace has turned out to be the daughter-in-law from hell, so how do her own in-laws to be feel about Kate marrying into the family?
“They think it’s hilarious,” she says. “But they obviously knew me way before I started playing Grace,which was lucky!”
His mum is one of the highest-paid BBC names, and his dad’s a DJ superstar.
But Woody Cook reveals he is so short of cash he can’t afford a loaf of bread.
His parents Zoe Ball and Norman Cook are estimated to be worth a cool £35million, but Woody, 20, says they’ve stopped giving him handouts.
Speaking at the Attitude Awards, the likeable Celeb Gogglebox star tells me: “My parents make it clear that I was born into a privilege they have had to work their ass off to get.
“My parents have cut me off completely. They are like, ‘Do you want to be a trust fund child or do you want to work?’ I want to work, so I am now self-sufficient. I don’t have a student loan.
“I am doing it all by myself. The other day I couldn’t afford bread, but I’m working through it.”
Woody vows to hold his own – unlike other celebrity offspring – saying: “A bouncer said to me, ‘I knew you were coming and I didn’t want to like you. I’ve seen the Brooklyn Beckhams, I’ve seen the s***, but I met you and you buck the trend’.
“My parents taught me to be myself and not rely on someone else.” But
EXCLUSIVE
despite not having money for bread, Woody admits he still finds the pennies to “get off his nut” at home.
He jokes: “I can be a right creature. My poor mum is the one who gets up at half four every morning to go to work on the radio and I’ll be off my nut. Me and my mates will be stumbling around the house still up and Mum is like, ‘Hi, I’m off to work’.”
Zoe sounds like a very cool mum.
Radio 2 host Zoe and Norman, better known as Fat Boy Slim, divorced in 2006 after seven years of marriage, but remain close friends.
Woody recently came out as bisexual. He wore a dress to the Attitude bash, saying: “My dad inspired me – he wore a bee costume at Glastonbury once and my mum is secretly happy I’m wearing a dress.
She loves the fact I’m gay.”
Of growing up in his unique home, he says:
“Paul McCartney once changed my nappy.”
Love it.
It was great to see Rylan Clark back on the party circuit after splitting with his husband.
The Strictly: It Takes Two host tells me he is finally in a “good place” following his heartache of the past year.
Rylan, who broke up with Dan Neal after six years of marriage, says: “I’m in a good place. I’m loving being back on Strictly – it’s really great this year and it’s such an incredible show to be a part of. I feel like it’s a new start.” No one deserves happiness more than Rylan – the nicest man in showbusiness.
Dancing on Ice will sign its first transgender celeb... if H from Steps gets his way.
The Tragedy singer made history last year when he became the first contestant ever to skate with a same-sex partner – Matt Evers.
H, real name Ian Watkins, tells me: “I’d love Dancing on
Ice to have a trans contestant. I’ve been in touch with a few of the producers to suggest a few names because
I think that’s the next representation we need to get across the line.
“We’ve done it with gay and lesbian, but trans is still very much a part of the community who are under attack unfairly and unjustly and need representing and supporting.”
H believes DOI and ITV will be brave enough to sign a trans celeb, while Strictly and the BBC would be too scared: “DOI will have to lead the way because we’ve already seen Strictly prefer to follow.”
Steps, who celebrate their 25th anniversary next year, won the Attitude Magazine’s Virgin Atlantic Icon Award.
Alan Carr Adele’s
I don’t want to be a trust fund child... I want to do it all by myself
has heard new music and gives it top marks. He would love to get her on the next series of Drag Race. But the comic admits: “No one can tell Adele what to do – you’ll have to ask her manager.”