Jill Halfpenny looks back: ‘My dad died when I was four and I lost my partner in 2017. Some days, I still struggle’ | Flashback

The actor on her joy at being on TV as a teenager, struggling with grief and overcoming shyness

Born in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, in 1975, actor Jill Halfpenny landed her breakout role as Nicola Dobson in Byker Grove at the age of 14. She has been a mainstay on TV screens since: starring in EastEnders, Coronation Street, Humans and Three Girls. In 2011, she won an Olivier for her West End role in Legally Blonde the Musical. Her memoir about navigating grief, A Life Reimagined, was published in 2024, and she is starring in The Feud on 5, launching on 14 April. She lives in Tynemouth with her son, Harvey.

This was my first holy communion. I don’t remember much about the day but I do recall the click-clack of the heels. The rest of the outfit was a bad choice – very old-fashioned and womanly, especially as I was a tomboy who loved trainers and tracksuits. If I’m honest, the main benefit of having holy communion, as a girl who likes to eat and drink, was the fact that during boring old mass I’d now get some bread and wine.