Brenda Blethyn is back on our screens in a new series of beloved ITV drama Vera and the star has opened up about the "heartbreak" she faced in the past while working on the show.
Speaking in a candid interview, the award-winning actress, who is adored for her role as Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, shared how the departure of her former co-star David Leon in 2014 was hard to adjust to.
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"I never thought I'd get over David going – that broke my heart," she told the Mirror. David, who played Vera's partner DS Joe Ashworth, left the show after three years to pursue other projects. However, the arrival of her current co-star, Kenny Doughty, helped numb the pain.
"But Kenny is a joy. He's my mate," she said, adding: "He's great company on set along with the rest of the cast, the crew and the directors." Kenny joined in 2014 as David's replacement to play DS Aiden Healy.
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© Photo: ITVVera and Aiden have been a crime-solving duo since 2014
The new series of Vera returned on Sunday 15 January and saw leading stars DCI Vera and DS Aiden called to solve the murder of a local GP, Lucy Yo. As the synopsis explains: "The charred remains of local GP, Doctor Lucy Yo, are found in the back of a burned out car that's been abandoned in a deserted quarry.
"Her husband states that she was called out to a patient on the evening in question but we soon discover from her colleagues at the surgery that there is no record of any patient.
© Photo: ITVVera recently returned for new episodes
"So who lured Doctor Yo out that night and who would want her dead? As Vera seeks out the truth amongst the bed of lies the real Doctor Lucy Yo is revealed."
Elsewhere in the new series, which consists of two episodes from series 11 and four episodes from series 12, Jon Morrison plays DC Kenny Lockhart, Riley Jones plays DC Mark Edwards and Ibinabo Jack stars as DC Jacqueline Williams.
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