‘What I would give to have a 30-YEAR-OLD FACE!’
Fay Ripley opens up about her difficult year, having filmed Cold Feet while grieving for her beloved father
For Fay Ripley, filming the new series of ITV’s
Cold Feet was one of the most challenging times she’s had to face.
While her character in the popular comedy-drama, Jenny Gifford, was having tests to check for breast cancer, behind the scenes, the actress was dealing with her own private grief as her father sadly passed away.
‘As you get older, your friends become your family'
‘It’s been a difficult year.
Unfortunately my father died while I was filming Cold Feet.
So I spent my time as Jenny filming in a hospital, and then travelling to hospital to visit him,’ she says.
‘He was at the other end of the country, and I was filming up North. But everybody in the cast was so supportive. There was a lot of: “Let’s get Fay’s scene done so we can get her on a plane to see her dad.”
‘His last generous gesture to me was that he died when I had a week off, so I could be there. Going back to work was hard. If I’d been in a job where I don’t know people, ultimately you turn up and burst into tears. It’s different when you’ve known these people for 25 years,’ she says, referring to fellow cast members Hermione Norris, John Thomson, Robert Bathurst, and James Nesbitt, who are close friends.
‘As you get older, your friends become your family because your children leave home and your parents die. They’re the people you call at three in the morning.’
And it’s her character Jenny’s friendship with Karen that helps her handle the trauma of dealing with the outcome of her medical checks.
‘When she hears the news that it could be cancer, a bomb is dropped in her world. ‘What’s interesting is that she initially keeps it from everyone and sticks her head in the sand. She doesn’t want to think about it.
‘Her thoughts are that once she tells her husband, mum and kids, she is giving them the cancer and changing their lives. And she doesn’t want to pass on that baton yet. So in her own way, she is actually being very strong and protective.’
Sadly, Fay didn’t have to do any research into breast
‘You can’t think too much about tomorrow. I’ve got a life to live’
cancer. ‘I have someone close to me with cancer,’ she explains. ‘They are going through a lot, but they are still here. And I know loads of other people in my family and among close friends with breast cancer.
‘I wanted the story dealt with properly. I will be the spokesperson for it in terms of the show. I was keen for them to hear my voice, and they did. I think we got it about right – the story is relatable, humorous, honest and true.’
Fay herself has never had a health scare. ‘As women, we all get pulled in for screening at this age because it can be a dangerous time. It’s all about early detection.
‘I get myself checked and encourage my friends and family to do the same. If Jenny’s story reminds women it’s good to check, that’s a bonus.’
Now 52, Fay was 30 when the pilot episode of Cold
Feet was filmed in 1996. And a segment of that show is screened in one of this series’ episodes, where Adam is watching old videos of his late wife Rachel, played by Helen Baxendale.
Watching the old footage brought up a variety of different feelings among the cast. ‘Hermione got a bit tearful. I just wanted to turn it off,’ says Fay. ‘I was so hard on myself. I used to complain so much when I was 30, “I’m never going to get a boyfriend, I’m really fat, I have wrinkles coming.” Now what I would give to have a 30-year-old face. If only I’d known I’d never wear a size 10 again!
‘I say to my 16-year-old daughter Parker, “Don’t be hard on yourself. You are just divine in all ways. Be happy with who you are, inside and out.”’
For now, as Fay awaits news of a Cold Feet return, she is enjoying time at home with husband, actor Daniel Lapaine, 47, and
children Parker and Sonny, 12, and is grateful for her good health and happy family life.
Looking the picture of glamour, Fay tells us she has no intention of becoming ‘invisible’ as she heads further into her 50s. In fact, she wants to keep going and do more than ever before.
‘Jenny’s cancer scare is very relatable in terms of you can’t think too much about tomorrow. You can say, “I’m not writing myself off yet. I’ve got a whole life to live and I’m going to live it.”
Just you watch me!’
Cold Feet is on ITV every Monday