Fay Ripley, who plays Jenny Gifford in the hit show Cold Feet, has opened up about the struggle her character is set to face in the new series, after finding out that she has breast cancer in season eight. The diagnosis was made all the more heartbreaking when Jenny had assumed that she was going through the menopause while her husband, Pete, thought that she was pregnant.
Fay chatted about her role
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about the storyline, Fay explained: "Sadly my preparation was that loads of my close friends and family have been through it. I was fully prepared I’m sorry to say. Probably ten years ago I would have had to say, who do I know? But now there are loads of people I can ring and ask, what does this feel like? What does somebody do at this point?"
Cold Feet will return on Monday night
She continued: "But having said that a lot of people I know are recovering or have recovered and are in a hopeful place and I think that was really important for my friends and family for me to bring to the party when playing Jenny. That was an influence for me. Please make it hopeful."
READ: This Morning star Holly Willoughby reveals what really happens backstage with Phillip Schofield
At the beginning of season nine, Jenny is in recovery while still moving on from the illness. Fay explained: "Jen’s journey is continuing, because as with real life, it doesn’t just end. When you’re in recovery there are other things that need to be done - the kids still need to go to school, the car goes in for a service, life goes on. It is about the continuation of that person’s journey with cancer and that’s the important thing." The new series will return on Monday 13 January at 9pm on ITV.
READ: The Oscar nominations are here for 2020: see the full list