EXCLUSIVE: Former Hollyoaks star Emma Rigby says she’d like to ‘sit down’ with Andrews and discover what she is willing to admit to, 30 years after the crime
Emma Rigby is playing Tracie Andrews in a new drama about Lee Harvey’s murder(Image: ©5 Broadcasting Limited / Orchard Studios)
The actress who plays Tracie Andrews in a new drama about the 1996 “road rage” killing of her fiancé Lee Harvey has revealed her desire to interview the convicted murderer about what really happened.
Emma Rigby, best known for her role as Hannah Ashworth in Hollyoaks, said: “I would love to make a documentary following a sit down between the two of us. I have so many questions for her. She has never told the truth on camera, it would be interesting to see what story she would tell now.”
Emma, who also starred in BBC1’s Prisoners’ Wives, was seven years old at the time of Lee’s death and knew nothing about the case before being approached for the role. To prepare, she watched many documentaries and read the book Pure Evil by Lee’s mother Maureen., played in the drama by The Witcher’s Jo Marriott.
An “avid consumer of true crime”, Emma she found Andrews’ psychology to be “fascinating” – but struggled to find one iota of sympathy for her. “The most chilling moments are when we used transcripts of what Tracie actually said,” she explained. “Her tone is terrifying and her lack of remorse is extremely sad. Tracie is the very definition of chilling. Her behaviour is shockingly unbelievable.”
The 90-minute drama, Suspect: The Road Rage Killer, will show how Tracie, then 27, was so desperate to find fame as a model, that she enjoyed being centre of attention at the press conference – even though she would quickly expose herself as a suspect rather than a witness.
“Tracie has many facets, her wanting to be on camera was one of them,” Emma says. “It was important to show how Tracie’s demise was essentially giving the camera too much.”
She said that playing her meant getting right into her head, where she found no redeeming features. “I can believe that in her way she loved Lee, and relate to a toxic situation masquerading as an all-consuming love, but this does not extend to sympathy for her actions,” Emma said. “The more I consumed, the more horrified I became. Each new detail that emerged was more shocking than the last, it makes for a gripping drama.”
Thirty years ago, Andrews was found covered in blood next to the body of her fiance Lee on a dark country lane near to their home in Alvechurch, Worcestershire. She was later found to have stabbed him in the neck and chest 42 times during an argument as they drove home from a local pub. The crime was pre-meditated, as she had hidden a knife inside her boot.
Having murdered the man she was due to marry, Andrews concocted a story about a road rage incident and said that Lee had been killed by a man in another car with “starey eyes”. But this unravelled when she contradicted statements she’d already made at the televised press conference.
The actress has struggled to understand how Andrews can have launched such a frenzied attack on bus-driver Lee, 25, who she claimed to adore. “I can believe that in her way she loved Lee, and relate to a toxic situation masquerading as an all-consuming love, but this does not extend to sympathy for her actions,” Emma said.
After being given a life sentence for murder, Andrews served the minimum 14 years before being released in 2011. Now living under the name Jenna Stephens in a southern coastal town, she married bouncer and dad-of-two Phil Goldsworthy in 2017. Two years after she was jailed Andrews, who had a history of violent attacks on her partner, admitted to killing Lee, but insisted it was done in self-defence.
Emma, 36, said it was shocking how little remorse Andrews showed over what she had done. “The key element is Tracie’s apathy – which is offset by her complete conviction to come out on top, whatever the cost.”
The actress said she’d loved getting her teeth into the meaty role, and hopes it will lead to more challenging parts being offered to her. “I hope it will reveal a whole new dimension to what I can do,” she said. “Tracie is my first onscreen role playing a real person and is someone many people are familiar with, due to the iconic press conference. I wanted to give a raw and very real performance,” she explained. “As an actor I had the most enjoyable time playing Tracie; I really loved the grit.”
– Under Suspicion: Tracie Andrews – Lover, Liar, Killer, Channel 5, Monday 13 July, 9pm
