News about Jill Halfpenny

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Confucius says, 'Whoever believes there is nothing to fear but fear itself has never worked with Mancunian teenagers.' Actually, it wasn't the Chinese philosopher of 2,500 years ago, although he was the first person to advocate mass education. That quote comes from another sage of great wisdom, the comedian Jason Manford, who is not only presenting his afternoon quiz The Answer Run on BBC1 but has joined the cast of school soap Waterloo Road. Manford plays Steve Savage, a mentor sent to keep an eye on the school's new acting head, Joe Casey (James Baxter).

A cold January morning in 2017. Actress Jill Halfpenny is woken by the sounds of her partner, Matt, getting ready to go to the gym. Bleary-eyed, she stumbles out of bed and goes to the loo, where she pees on an ovulation test stick because they are trying for a baby - a brother for Jill's son, Harvey. She kisses Matt goodbye and goes back to bed, only to be woken 45 minutes later by a loud knock at the door... and sees 17 missed calls on her phone. Matt Janes, 43 years old, in the prime of life, has had a heart attack at the gym. Jill rushes to be with him. He is in a bad way but his eyes register her presence. She accompanies him as he is blue-lighted to hospital but, tragically, the next day, Matt loses his fight for life. Jill, one of our most familiar faces from TV and a West End star, known for her happy, outgoing demeanour, is plunged into a nightmare of grief, all the while coping as a single mother. Even harder to bear is that Matt's death is an almost uncanny echo of the tragedy that befell Jill's family 38 years earlier. Her father, Colin Halfpenny, also died of a heart attack, during a local league football match in their home town, Gateshead.

Tracy-Ann Oberman has headed back to Albert Square for the first time in 20 years as she shot her hotly-anticipated EastEnders return.  The actress, 57, is returning to the show after almost two decades to reprise her role as the infamous Chrissie Watts.  The screen star was spotted following her first day back filming on Friday, with her return scenes set to air this autumn and sure to send shockwaves across Walford.

EXCLUSIVE: The new love helping to heal the heartbreak of TV favourite Jill Halfpenny is a divorced father-of-two who has also suffered a shattering family bereavement, MailOnline can reveal. Handsome marketing executive Ian McAllister, 48, has brought joy back into the life of the former Strictly winner following the tragic death of her partner Matt Janes from a heart attack in 2017.

EastEnders star Tracy-Ann Oberman's brutal swipe at the soap has resurfaced, following the news that she will be making a surprise return later this year. The actress, 57, is set to reprise her role as Chrissy Watts for a short stint this autumn, nearly two decades after her last appearance. However, while bosses have no doubt welcomed Tracy-Ann back to the soap with open arms, the actress previously slamming the show's gruelling schedules and demanding storylines after her exit.

Jill Halfpenny has revealed that her partner Matt Janes, who died suddenly in 2017, gave her permission to date again in a heartwarming conversation that took place while he was alive. The Byker Grove actress, 48, opened up on Lorraine on Thursday about how Matt's death was 'eerily similar' to her father Colin's four decades earlier.

Tracy-Ann Oberman is set to return to EastEnders after almost two decades, to reprise her role as the infamous Chrissie Watts. The actress, 57, has begun filming for her return to Albert Square this autumn, which is sure to send shockwaves across Walford. Chrissie was last seen on the BBC soap in December 2005, when was sent to prison for the murder of her husband Den Watts, played by Lesley Grantham.

Being in hospital is miserable. By definition, you're unwell, often in pain or discomfort, but you're also quite probably lonely. Perhaps most of all, you're likely to be very bored. As doctors, we know that how patients feel psychologically plays a vital role in how their bodies heal. Which is why Sir Tim Laurence's visits to his wife, Princess Anne, who spent five days in hospital last week after suffering a concussion, will have played such an important role in her recovery. With a blue cooler bag in hand, containing what he said were 'a few little treats from home', Sir Tim represents the kind of loving attention that can do wonders for a patient's mental health and have a knock-on effect on their physical wellbeing, too.

Jill Halfpenny has admitted she would drink to 'escape' and 'stop overthinking' after her father Colin suddenly died of a fatal heart attack when she was a child. The actress, 48, who has been completely sober for over a decade, has bravely detailed her alcoholism battle in her new memoir A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss. The former EastEnders star said she felt a 'weight lifted off her shoulders' when she plucked up the courage to admit she was an alcoholic in an AA meeting in 2013.

Jill Halfpenny has discussed finding love again following the death of her partner Matt Janes.  The Byker Grove actress, 48, felt 'cursed' when she lost Matt in 2017 to a fatal heart attack that mirrored her father Colin's death four decades earlier. Colin passed away at the age of 36 after he had a heart attack during a game of five-a-side football. Jill was just four years old.

The Byker Grove actress, 48, felt 'cursed' when she lost Matt in 2017 to a fatal heart attack that mirrored her father Colin's death four decades earlier. Colin passed away at the age of 36 after he had a heart attack during a game of five-a-side football. Jill was just four years old. Jill has now revealed that losing Matt, then aged 43, in the same way forced to confront grieving her father, as she spoke to The Sunday Times about her new book, A Life Reimagined: My Journey of Hope in the Midst of Loss. Determined not to shut down completely and lead a 'miserable' life from therein on in, Jill vowed that this time she would not 'bury her grief' and set about learning how to mourn Colin.

The former EastEnders actress, 48, said she felt 'cursed' when she lost Matt to a fatal heart attack that mirrored father Colin's death while playing five-a-side football when she was just four.

The story of a comedian whose life is plagued by a stalker, Baby Reindeer has had viewers captivated. So what other dark, compelling shows are out there? If you loved Baby Reindeer, you'll also be gripped by these choices - from a psychological thriller about a social media-obsessed fraudster to the tale of a writer who starts having flashbacks after a night out and realises that her drink was spiked. Our critics have trawled through hundreds of options to bring you the most compelling - and disturbing - shows to stream right now.

The Strictly Come Dancing stars prepare for their appearance at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Saturday, it appears there is a Strictly bleakness that the contestants are attempting to escape. Unlike the famous curse that sees couples falling for each other, this latest calamity involves the show's leaderboard. Based on recent performances, it is unlikely that anyone at the top of the leaderboard at Blackpool would lift the glitterball trophy in the show's final.

The Long Shadow on ITV is coming to an end as it details the sequence of missed opportunities in catching the Yorkshire Ripper as police were delayed by a hoax tape. Despite being interviewed multiple times by West Yorkshire Police, the real ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, was able to commit 13 murders and more non-fatal attacks in less than five years. In the TV drama, Sutcliffe's victims, survivors, and investigators are all depicted, rather than glorifying the serial killer. Scroll down to see real-life photos of some of the series's leading figures.

The title could not be more fitting for a long time because it did not convey fear that gripped the UK during the five-year hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, but Sutcliffe's notoriety has cast over his younger brother, Carl. Carl has lived with the shame, guilt, and admiration that his brother's crimes brought on his family for more than 40 years, ever since Sutcliffe's conviction in 1981 for the brutal murder and mutilation of 13 people. He has been a successful antique dealer who has been with partner Steff for nearly 30 years, with whom he has three flourishing children, but he has never been able to escape the horror of what happened in West Yorkshire in the 1970s. It doesn't help, according to Paul, a mixture of indignation and exhaustion, that the crimes are always rehashed on television.

A new ITV drama, which will air in September, will chronicle Peter Sutcliffe's journey as the police hunt unfolds. Sutcliffe, a serial killer who lived in Yorkshire in the Seventies and Eighties, will explore the women she had assaulted in the Long Shadow. Sutcliffe murdered 13 people and attempted to murder seven more before his capture in 1981, when he was sentenced to twenty consecutive life imprisonment sentences at HMP Frankland. Sutcliffe died at University Hospital of North Durham in November 2020 after refusing medical attention for COVID-19 while suffering with other underlying health conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The crime drama, which is made up of seven episodes, will air on ITV1 on Monday, September 25th.

A woman who was a third-year fine art student days from her 21st birthday shares her close encounter with the convicted killer as the ITV drama recreates the terror inflicted by Peter Sutcliffe. Mo Lea was a student at Leeds Polytechnic University and just two days from her 21st birthday when Sutcliffe attempted to murder her in October 1980. It had been more than five years since his first known murder in 1975, and West Yorkshire Police were apparently at the height of the country's biggest manhunt.

On Thursday, a Byker Grove actor appeared almost unrecognizable in a rare TV appearance. During an interview with Loose Women, the actor, 77, appeared alongside two of his former co-stars. For ten years, the TV star appeared in the drama, where he served as a youth club leader supervising teens, including Ant and Dec.

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: For conveyor-belt dramas like Heat (Ch5), there must be a template, with a predefined set of characters and plot twists that can be downloaded from a website. Follow these steps: Take a family of four children and take them on holiday with old relatives. One teenage girl is carrying around a mystery, while the other is sulky. Husband and wife mask their dissatisfaction with a coerced display of love for the children's sake, but they're hiding money worries. One of them suspects the other of a murder. They've known their hosts since university, but real friendship is just a memory - the other woman is neurotic, while the guy is a double-dyed bounder, under his superficial beauty.

Dale Meeks (left) of Byker Grove has died at the age of 47, according to his family. Declan Donnelly and Ant McPartlin (centre) and Jill Halfpenny (right), the famous actor began his career in the renowned teen drama (centre) and Jill Halfpenny (right). The actor's co-stars, Ant and Dec (centre), are among the tributes paid to him on social media. From £30 million ITV deals to abandoning the limelight completely, FEMAIL takes a look at where the program's stars are now...

It's a dahlings, but Craig Revel Horwood (pictured left), the sternest judge on Strict Come Dancing, will actually feel sorry for the contestants as the new season begins. It's a crucifixion,' he says. 'They know there are 12 million people with beady eyes who know all about dance,' explains the actress, who's sitting down and guessing who's correct.' It's true that every fan has strong opinions. 'Strictly has aspired the nation to dance,' says Craig. Pictured right: Rose Ayling-Ellis and Giovanni Pernice