Coronation Street actress Jane Danson has revealed her hubby has stepped up and took on more responsibility for looking after their kids during her pre-show Dancing On Ice training.
The 40-year-old soap told Fabulous magazine that actor Robert Beck, who she married in 2005, has always been the primary care giver for their two boys Harry and Sam while she films on Weatherfield’s cobbles.
But since she signed up for the upcoming series of the ITV skating show, Robert – who appeared in Brookside in the early 1990s as Peter Harrison – has offered his unstinting support by being there for their sons even more.
And although Harry, 12, reacted to the news his mum would be sequinned up for a very different kind of performance on TV to that of long-running Corrie character Leanne Battersby with a request for her to avoid being booted off first, Robert has been fully behind her decision to take part.
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Jane reflected: “If he’d said: ‘Oh god, it’s so dangerous,’ I might have thought twice. But he said: ‘If you really want to do it, you should and I’ll support you.’
“He’s taken on the childcare much more while I’ve been training because I’ve been leaving so much earlier than normal, but marriage is about give and take, and supporting each other through things like this. And being in the industry, he knows how it all works so he’s not fazed by it.”
She also praised her man for prioritising family life, noting she believes it is more difficult for men to thrive as stay-at-home dads.
She continued: “When Rob’s working, my mum will come over, and we’ve got some great babysitters. But most of the time Rob does it. He’s wonderful at it, because I think it’s harder for men – it’s a woman’s world, isn’t it? Especially when they’re small. Everything is mums’ groups and support groups.”
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Noting how Robert was able to take an acting job away from home last year because she had a lot of holiday allowance to use up, Jane also said their arrangement ensured they remained a tight parenting team – even if they are fortunate to be in a position where one of them has a regular job.
Rated by the bookies at 9/1 to win the series, Jane has been partnered up with Corrie pal Samia Ghadie’s husband Sylvain Longchambon for DOI.
And although they already knew each other socially, Jane said she is enjoying getting to know the Frenchman in a teacher-pupil way and is glad they share a similar, firm work ethic.
The soap favourite also revealed she is inspired to take to the ice by her earliest memory – watching Torvill and Dean doing Boléro when she was four.
Adding she never had the confidence to have a go at ice skating as a kid, here’s to her realising a childhood dream on TV!
– Dancing On Ice returns to ITV on Sunday January 6 at 6pm
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