She played a tough prostitute in the critically-acclaimed TV series Band Of Gold and was nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA for her role in gritty gangster flick Mona Lisa. And now Liverpool-born actress Cathy Tyson is bringing her line in headline-hitting drama to the quiet Yorkshire Dales.
The talented 42-year-old has signed up to join the cast of rural soap Emmerdale, beginning filming earlier this week. The actress, who was married to Red Dwarf actor Craig Charles and has a 17-year-old son Jack, looks set to stir up the country community as Andrea, a fiesty single mum who moves to the peaceful village from a rough, inner-city estate.
And Cathy will doubtless be drawing on her own background for the role. The daughter of a barrister from Trinidad and a social worker from Liverpool, Cathy was raised by her mum to be a strong character. "Some men have said I'm too fierce," she explained in a newspaper interview, "but I'm learning more of a balance.
"You see, I've never really had a man in my life, I've never had a father in my life, so I find it very hard for a man to come in and give me criticism. I've looked at couples and I've noticed the women getting quieter and quieter. Well, I'm not prepared to do that. I don't want to be a follower in a relationship."
Cathy, who will star in six episodes of the show, debuts in her new role at the end of June.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
