Ruth

Ruth Codd, who is in this year’s The Celebrity Traitors on BBC One alongside 18 other stars, wants to raise awareness about amputations following a horrific injury

Ruth Codd – the Irish actress in The Celebrity Traitors – described her leg amputation as the “greatest challenge” she has ever faced.

The star’s candid interview, which has resurfaced following her appearance in the new series last night, details why Ruth, now 29, had her right leg amputated below the knee. The actress had injured her foot playing football when she was 15 and, in around 2019, she suffered further complications which led to the surgery.

Ruth, from Wexford, Ireland, said she made the decision to help relieve the pain and gain more control over her life. Ruth has learned in the subsequent years to use a prosthetic leg, she told the Irish Examiner. This interview from 2022 has resurfaced today following interest on Ruth and her injury.

She said: “My injury is the greatest challenge I’ve faced in my life so far. I injured it playing soccer at the age of 15. It never healed correctly so until I was 23, I was on and off crutches, getting loads of operations. Because of nerve damage and chronic pain, I chose to get it amputated. It took eight years of my life, constantly going in and out of hospital.

“My whole life revolved around trying to heal my leg. For years, I didn’t see it getting any better. I was stuck in a really bad mindset and I was pissed off at life. When I made the decision to amputate it, things finally started to turn around. It was a relief. I could get on my life.”

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In The Celebrity Traitors, Ruth and 18 other stars compete to prove themselves as either a Faithful or a Traitor. The other celebs include actor and broadcaster Sir Stephen Fry and Olympian Tom Daley.

Ruth, who portrayed Anya in the Netflix thriller series The Midnight Club, previously spoke of her delight to partake in the show. Her enthusiasm was mirrored by the BBC unscripted director Syeda Irtizaali, who said of the show in the summer: “It was a real pleasure to cast this series. I think where we started with was we wanted to have a really broad range of people, obviously, but we also wanted people that were real fans of the show, that really understood it.

“I was worried about it; I was worried about how they were going to play it compared to members of the public, but we have nothing to worry about. They really play the game, and some of the things that you’ll see them doing are extraordinary; that’s all I’m going to say. It’s well worth the wait.”

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, The Celebrity Traitors will air on Wednesdays on BBC One and iPlayer.

Ruth Langsford has opened up about her time on Strictly Come Dancing, admitting that she often felt ‘really rubbish’ and would ‘always burst into tears’ behind-the-scenes

Ruth Langsford has disclosed that whilst her former dance partner Anton Du Beke may appear to be “a laugh”, there’s another side to his character that Strictly Come Dancing fans might not recognise.

In an exclusive chat, the former This Morning presenter confessed that she frequently felt “really rubbish” backstage, as she measured herself against other competitors, including Debbie McGee and Gemma Atkinson, who had advanced to become “so good” on the dance floor.

Luckily, Ruth had the backing of Strictly professional-turned-judge Anton, who provided a shoulder to lean on during her difficult moments, describing their bond as “the best thing” to emerge from her time on the BBC programme.

The Loose Women host revealed: “I always want people to know that, Anton’s such a laugh – he’s laugh, laugh, laugh – but he’s the kindest man.”

Ruth added: “I was always bursting into tears as the show went on, because it gets hard and everyone’s so good, and then I would feel really rubbish because I would think, ‘I can’t do it’. And he’d go, ‘you’re fine’.”

“I felt like I was letting him down, but he never criticised me, he was just fun, and in fact, sometimes we’d do a step and he’d say, ‘that’s good’ and I’d go, ‘oh thanks’ and he’d say, ‘it’s not what I taught you, but it’s good!’ And he just made me laugh!”.

Ruth proceeded to disclose that Anton possessed the ideal technique to soothe her nerves when things weren’t working out in the rehearsal studio.

She remembered: “If he ever said, ‘no, no, because we’re supposed to be going right’, and then he’d look at me, and my bottom lip would start to tremble, and I’m about to cry, he’d be like, ‘right, come on, cup of tea!’ Honestly, the nicest man.”

Ruth was also brimming with praise for Anton’s abilities as part of Strictly’s judging panel, where he has been seated alongside Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas and Motsi Mabuse since 2021.

Nevertheless, Anton’s elevation on Strictly means he won’t be able to take part in the competition anymore, which Ruth believes is the sole drawback, as she would be keen to “have another go” with her mate alongside her.

She declared: “Let me have another go with Anton! I can’t now, because he’s a judge.

“I’m so delighted he’s a judge, he’s a very good judge, but I always say to him, ‘I think they should let you have another go, I think I’d be better at it!'”.

Ruth just missed out on reaching Blackpool with Anton in 2017, after facing the feared dance-off against Jonnie Peacock and Oti Mabuse, whilst Joe McFadden and Katya Jones ultimately claimed the Glitterball Trophy that year.

Gavin & Stacey may have come to an emotional end on Christmas Day, but it seems James Corden and Ruth Jones aren’t quite done yet as they have reportedly signed a huge new deal

James Corden and Ruth Jones are reportedly set to reunite once again despite Gavin & Stacey coming to an emotional end last Christmas. The show creators and stars are said to be putting their brains together once again for a follow-up to the iconic BBC comedy.

They said they hoped to work together again after Gavin & Stacey ended, and it seems fans might not have long to wait. Just last month, Gavin actor Matthew Horne teased to the Mirror that something big is up their sleeves.

It has now been reported we can expect to see a brand new ten-part comedy drama from James and Ruth as they have reportedly signed a huge deal with AppleTV+. Their new show will be set in the UK with filming starting next year, according to reports.

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It is expected to hit screens in 2027, with AppleTV+ winning against interest from the BBC, Netflix and Amazon Prime. “Naturally there was a lot of interest around the script and a major bidding war to land this production,” a source told the Sun.

“But James already had an excellent relationship with AppleTV+. It acquired the rights to his Carpool Karaoke, and it made sense to go in this direction.”

They explained how Ruth and James stayed “loyal” to the BBC for Gavin & Stacey’s finale as they turned down Netflix. However, it seems they may have branched out for the new series that’s set to include a “new format and new characters”.

Casting for the new show is yet to begin, but those involved are said to be “incredibly excited”. It comes at a busy time for both James and Ruth, who are working on their own projects.

James is starring in New York Broadway show Art, while Ruth has been writing her novels ahead of starring in Netflix thriller Run Away. In August, the Mirror revealed how Gavin & Stacey star Matthew plans to appear in the new show.

When asked on his future plans with the show’s creators, he said: “I would love to work with James and Ruth again. In fact James and I have been discussing doing a play because we are both going back into the theatre for a while – but not in the same play.

“James and I have been talking about doing a play, maybe next year or maybe the year after that. And as for Ruth, she is writing her novels at the moment.

“And she has written a new novel (By Your Side) and it is all set on a fictional island in Scotland and my heritage is Scottish, I am actually mostly Scottish by blood. So I am hoping to get into something because a lot of her novels are going to be turned into TV stuff so I’d like to work with her on that level.”

He then teased while at a talk: “And I know they are doing something with Apple at the moment, they are writing something for Apple. So I think my working relationship with both of them will continue but it may not be imminent but I think we definitely will come back together so that will be really exciting and I would jump at the chance to do that.”

Speaking in May at the BAFTAs, Ruth also said she wanted to make more TV with her friend and co-star. Ruth said: “I love working with James Corden, I really do, and I hope that we will carry on working together.”

A source close to James previously confirmed he was working on writing new projects with Ruth but said as well as Apple, a number of TV channels and streamers were keen to screen whatever they come up with.

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Between delicately assembling a pair of open-faced sandwiches in her comfortably stocked kitchen and carefully picking her wardrobe for an incoming visitor, Ruth (Kathleen Chalfant), an elegant older woman with intelligent eyes and a wry smile, looks like someone who enjoys hosting. Flirting too, if the hand she gently places on her lunch companion’s knee is any indication.

But there are signs that Ruth, an accomplished cookbook author, exists apart from the reality of the moment. Polite, patient, nervous Steve (H. Jon Benjamin) is not a date — he’s actually Ruth’s son, there to take her to a well-appointed retirement community where she’ll live under the observation of caregivers who specialize in memory care. But also, thanks to the power of “Familiar Touch,” it’s a place where she’ll be affectionately dimensionalized through the encouraging eyes of the filmmaker who created her, Sarah Friedland.

Friedland’s acute debut feature, drawn from her experience in the memory-care field, is a small miracle of realigned empathy, turning away from the condescension and easy sentiment of so many narratives about late-in-life adaptation. Instead it finds something infinitely more layered and meaningful, especially where Chalfant’s utterly commanding characterization is concerned.

Friedland doesn’t waste time letting us know she has more on her mind than rote family drama or a spotlight on medical suffering. The quiet car ride to the senior living home is marked by a closeup of Ruth’s hand turning on her lap as it’s warmed by the sun — a moment meant to prioritize Ruth’s sensorial experience. In the facility’s lobby, where we meet kindly caregiver Vanessa (Carolyn Michelle) and Ruth realizes she’s not at a hotel for a rendezvous but rather to be admitted to a new group home by a grown child she doesn’t recognize, the moment is as tension-filled as it needs to be.

Yet even that is offset by the composed normality of Friedland’s unhurried, attentive direction, seeding an understanding that what is new for Ruth (or new once more, since we learn that she herself had chosen the place in less-confused times) is, in practically every other way, a common occurrence. This is a rite of passage happening all the time everywhere and deserving of compassion.

Ruth’s awareness is fluid as she becomes accustomed to a life of assistance, tests, activities, neighbors and the unique connection between resident and caregiver. As the process unfolds, “Familiar Touch” reveals itself as a social procedural about a demanding healthcare profession, often staffed by people who can’t afford to place their own loved ones in such facilities. The movie demystifies what’s hard and rewarding about caregiving, thanks largely to Michelle’s incredible, nuanced turn as Vanessa. That thread is exquisitely interlocked with a sensitive, sharp portrait of the interiority of someone searching for agency while in the throes of dementia.

Friedland never ignores what’s upsetting about Ruth’s condition, especially the loneliness that might replace sleep in an unfamiliar bed, or the despair that triggers a nighttime escape. But by sticking to Ruth’s perspective, the camera attuned to every emergence of childlike glee, adult pleasure or sharp-witted flash of authority, we come to see a person, not a patient. Ruth’s swings of emotion and identity are multitudes to be uncovered and respected.

The mystery of Ruth’s mindfulness — which ebbs and flows — is at the core of Chalfant’s brilliant, award-worthy performance. Hers is a virtuosity that doesn’t ask for pity or applause or even link arms with the stricken-but-defiant disease-playing headliners who have gone before her. Chalfant’s Ruth is merely, momentously human: an older woman in need, but no less expressive of life’s fullness because of it. It’s a portrayal to remember, for as long as any of us can.