Actress Jill Halfpenny has revealed how “hard” it’s been to watch herself age on screen.
Jill – who turns 50 this summer – first found fame on Byker Grove. She was 14 when she joined the cast of the show. From there, Jill joined the cast of Coronation Street, and EastEnders, before winning Strictly Come Dancing and continuing her success in shows such as Waterloo Road, Ordinary Lies and The Feud, which starts on Channel 5 on Monday (April 14).
But after spending more than three decades in the spotlight, Jill has now opened up about the struggles she’s faced as her body changed and she grew older as the world watched…
Jill Halfpenny on watching herself age
Speaking on her Dear Jill podcast, the actress opened up ahead of her 50th birthday.
Giving her take on ageing, Jill – who went public with her new man last summer – said: “What happens is, well what happens with me is, that I’ve got wiser. I’ve become much more accepting of myself and I’ve become much more aware of how things need to change. And running all the way alongside that is I’m also getting older.”
Opening up, she added: “I’m trying to be so accepting and I’m trying so hard to just take everything for what it is. And, at the same time, I’ve watched myself age on screen. I’ve watched my body change and then I have to watch myself get older.”
Sharing her gratitude for her long and varied career, Jill added: “Listen, on the one hand, what a privilege, what an amazing privilege, like I’m so grateful for my career.
“But that judgement side of things, where you look at yourself and think, am I good enough? That’s really challenging to have to watch that on screen alongside everybody else. That’s really hard,” she said.
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Fans show support
The star’s followers quickly rallied round.
One commented: “If I woke up tomorrow morning and saw *that* in the mirror, I’d be one happy lady! Jill, you’re gorgeous from head to toe, inside and out.”
Another agreed and added: “You’re still amazing Jill.”
Read more: Jill Halfpenny on ‘disturbing’ conversation with partner Matt shortly before his sudden death
The Feud starts on Channel 5 on Monday April 14 at 9pm.
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