traumatic

Sheridan Smith has taken on a new role that claimed was her toughest yet as she played real-life hero Ann Ming who battled to put her daughter’s killer behind bars

Sheridan Smith has admitted that a traumatic childhood memory helped her to take on one of the most challenging roles of her career. The actress has opened up about her new project, I Fought the Law, as she claimed it was “the hardest job I have done” and left her “bawling her eyes out.”

Sheridan, 44, has also confessed that she is “sober for real” while discussing her addiction battle. Speaking in a new interview, Sheridan talks about her role, telling the real-life story of Ann Ming, who spent 15 years campaigning for the UK’s 800-year-old ‘double jeopardy’ law to be overturned following the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg.

Sheridan said that she would draw on her own experience to fulfil the role. She told The Guardian, “I’d remember the night my brother died and my mum screaming, so I’d tap into that. Now, as a mum, I imagine what if something happened to your child.”

Sheridan’s brother Julian died of cancer when he was 18, and Sheridan was just eight years old. She said playing Ann “took it out of her” and made her think about the kind of roles she will take in the future.

She explained, “I have to always remember that the real-life characters have actually gone through this, but I think a little bit of each character stays in me.” Sheridan then addressed her sobriety saying: “I was always going back and forth between drinking and sobriety. But this time I feel it’s for real.”

Ann Ming’s daughter Julie was murdered by William ‘Billy’ Dunlop, but jurors failed to find him guilty twice, which meant he couldn’t be tried again legally. But Ann and her husband Charles – who sadly passed away in 2013 – did not give up and kept campaigning until they got the law amended.

Billy is now serving a life sentence after the brutal murder of Julie, who was just 22 when she died and a mother to a three-year-old, Kevin. Julie’s body was found 80 days after Billy murdered her, concealed underneath the bath in the bathroom of her home.

Police officers and forensics teams had carried out extensive searches of her home but failed to find the body, which was eventually discovered by her family as they investigated a smell. Billy had strangled and sexually mutilated Julie.

Ann said, “My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law. I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie. I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me.

“Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful.”

Speaking about the role, Sheridan said, “I am so honoured to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed.

“She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.”

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The Nolans singer spoke of the emotional moment on ITV’s Good Morning Britain

Anne Nolan has opened up about the emotional moment she found out she was cancer free.

The Nolans singer, and sister of Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan, has battled breast cancer twice.

Earlier this year, the family lost Linda to the disease, while Bernie died of the same illness in 2013.

Anne, 74, received the news just days ago that she was cancer-free, having been first diagnosed in 2000 and then 20 years later.

Appearing on Monday’s Good Morning Britain, she shared the emotional journey she’s faced, and the relief at her health update.

“It’s been very traumatic, when I received the letter a few weeks ago, I picked it up, and it said NHS, and I thought, ‘Oh I don’t want to know, I’m not sure if I want to know if it’s bad news.’

“And I put it aside for about ten minutes, and after a while my logical brain kicked in and said, ‘You have to find out, you need to know’.

“I opened it and it was all good news, and I had a bit of a weep at the beginning.

“I feel lucky, blessed, relieved, and then emotional thinking about my sisters having gone through the same thing but not surviving.”

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.

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Helen George swaps the world of showbiz for literal shark-infested waters in ITV’s new reality show, while Channel 4’s The Couple Next Door returns with a steamy new story

Call the Midwife star Helen George is just one of the celebs who’ll be coming face-to-face with one of the sea’s deadliest beasts in ITV’s new reality show Shark! Celebrty Infested Waters tonight.

Proving just how far celebrities will go to stay on the telly, this new reality format sends seven famous faces into shark-filled waters near the Bahamas. 50 years after Jaws became a phenomenon at the cinema, the likes of actor Lenny Henry, comedian Ross Noble and McFly’s Dougie Poynter have signed up for a stomach-churning sequence of dives, where they will encounter various species of shark, getting more perilous each time.

Although Countdown’s Rachel Riley is excited for the challenge, most of the celebs look like they want to fire their agents, with Call the Midwife star Helen George declaring she’s terrified of the sea, and Motherland actor Lucy Punch hilariously dismissing the apex predators as ‘savage tubes of teeth.’

There’s a sobering start to the experience, as they meet their guides, including Paul, a former Aussie serviceman who lost his hand and leg to a ten-foot bull shark in a training exercise, but now campaigns for shark conservation.

Acutely aware of the dangers they face, they prepare for their first dive, but with Helen and Lenny both struggling with traumatic childhood memories of swimming pools, just getting underwater is a challenge. Soon, they’re stepping into a cage suspended in the ocean, surrounded by bull sharks, whose every move makes them shake. And it’s only going to get scarier from here. The experts hope the celebs will go home with a new respect – and even affection – for the villains of the sea, but that feels rather optimistic at this point…

Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters begins tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

The Best of the Rest

Michael Mosley: Secrets Of The Superagers, Channel 4, 8pm

If throwing yourself out of a plane is the secret to a better memory, some of us would prefer to just be forgetful… In this eye-opening series, the late Dr Michael Mosley meets inspiring people, who are bucking the trends of ageing. 70-year old Dane is a keen skydiver, whose mind is impressively sharp.

Indeed, the science shows that his time at high altitude has helped promote blood flow to his brain, giving him higher cognitive function. You don’t have to be a daredevil to age well though, as Michael explores the theory that learning new things can ward off dementia. Small children’s brains expand as they pick up new skills, so a group of volunteers test the theory that mastering new hobbies simultaneously can stop your brain shrinking.

After a year of learning Spanish and taking art classes, the stunning results of this experiment will have you googling evening classes in your area.

The Couple Next Door, Channel 4, 9pm

This steamy relationship drama returns to the same posh cul de sac, but with a new couple at the heart of the story. Surgeon Charlotte (The Split’s Anabel Scholey) and anaesthetist Jacob (Nashville’s Sam Palladio) work at the same hospital, and their marriage is a happy one. That is until enigmatic new nurse Mia turns up for her first shift.

Immediately overstepping the mark with her colleagues, she makes quite the impression. Later, Charlotte is stunned when Mia moves into the house next door, and she can’t stop thinking about her. How can she afford a huge family home on her own, on a nurse’s salary, and why is she so keen to make friends with resident creep, Alan (Hugh Dennis)?

Meanwhile, Charlotte’s ex, Leo, is back on the scene, as family circumstances force him to return to the hospital. Jacob is unsettled by his return, and turns down a tantalising prospect of promotion to avoid him.

EastEnders, BBC1, 7.30pm

Lauren is surprised to see Oscar again. After shock revelations, she learns where he has been all this time, and begrudgingly agrees to let him stay with her. It’s a decision she may soon regret…

Lexi asks Nigel about his wedding day. Jay is saddened that Nigel is no longer in touch with Julie, and starts looking for her online. Phil warns Jay not to interfere, but he won’t listen.

Linda tells Kat that it’s time for her to sell The Vic?

Emmerdale, ITV, 7.30pm

Kim is blissfully unaware that Dr Crowley is planning to take her to the cleaners. But Joe knows exactly what he’s up to, and arranges to confront him.

Charity desperately wants to help Sarah and tries to persuade Vic to offer to be her surrogate. Vic seems uncomfortable, despite Charity’s pleas. Charity and Cain are on the same page as they keep all options open.

It’s a big day for Lewis as he launches his new menu at the café.

Coronation Street, ITV, 8pm

Mick is growing restless in his cell, worrying about his kids. As he forms a plan, Brody looks for Joanie and Shanice, but Joanie is at Weatherfield High for a taster day. Mick breaks out of prison and heads straight to the school, not knowing that Sally has picked Joanie up early. He follows them back to the Street, with Kit in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Kevin plays for time, telling Tyrone he’ll come clean to Abi about his health after their weekend away.

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