Anne-Marie Duff is without a doubt one of ED!‘s favourite actresses, and this week she returns to our screens in the Channel 4 thriller Suspect.
Like the first series, which aired in 2022 led by James Nesbitt, Suspect series 2 is a tense thriller with a murder mystery at its heart. And it picks up from where series 1 ended…
So what’s the new series about, and what is Anne-Marie’s role in it? Why did Anne-Marie split from her famous husband, and is she dating now? And when can we expect the long-awaited series of Bad Sisters 2, in which she plays ‘Mammy’ Grace Williams. Here’s everything you need to know in our in-depth profile.
Who plays Dr Susannah Newman in Suspect?
Actress Anne-Marie Duff portrays Dr Susannah Newman in the Channel 4 thriller Suspect – not to be confused with the 2022 Aidan Turner thriller The Suspect, or Faye Ripley drama Suspects. Keep up, reader!
Those of you who watched series 1 will know that James Nesbitt’s grizzled police officer Danny was arrested for killing the pathologist who’d murdered his daughter.
In series 2, Danny’s ex-wife Susannah, a psychotherapist, embarks on a quest of her own to find out the truth about her daughter’s death – and save a life in the process.
Grieving over her daughter Christina’s murder, Susannah is further horrified when her mysterious new client Jon (Dominic Cooper) makes a disturbing confession under hypnosis. She’s subsequently forced to embark on her own deadly mission. It may be too late to save her daughter, but she could well save another life…
The cast also includes Friday Night Dinner’s Tamsin Greig, The Pact’s Eddie Marsan, Line of Duty’s Gina McKee, Professor T’s Ben Miller, and Boiling Point’s Vinette Robinson.
What is she famous for? What else has Anne-Marie Duff been in?
Anne-Marie Duff has been on our screens ever since 1997, when she first appeared as Cathy Gillingham in the TV series Trial & Retribution.
She went on to star in Amongst Women, Aristocrats, The Way We Live Now, and Wild West. In 2004, she won the role which arguably made her famous, playing Fiona Gallagher in Shameless. She played the role between 2004 and 2013 (and that’s where she met her ex-husband James McAvoy).
In 2005, she portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in The Virgin Queen. TV viewers will also know her as Ma Costa in His Dark Materials, Tracy Daszkiewicz in the superb The Salisbury Poisonings, and Erin Wiley in Sex Education.
More recently, Anne-Marie portrayed Grace Williams in the Apple TV+ drama Bad Sisters. Grace was the second eldest of the Garvey siblings, and married to Utter Pig John Paul. While her sisters plotted to kill Grace’s controlling husband, she got there first… In series 1, Grace was revealed to be the murderer in the ultimate twist. Series 2 is coming soon (see below).
Anne-Marie has been in dozens of films, too, including Nowhere Boy, Suffragette, Magdelene Sisters, and On Chesil Beach.
When is the start date for Bad Sisters series 2?
Sharon Horgan‘s Bad Sisters is coming back for a second season (despite resolving its central murder mystery in its first outing). While Sharon has said there probably won’t be a series 3, she originally envisaged it being a two-series run.
Speaking to the Radio Times, she said: “I had no intention of doing any more but, while we were on set I kept thinking of this one idea that could be a possible second season. The first series did have a lovely end, but I think when you kill a man, when you put yourself through that – and there were five of them in it – life is going to change.
“You don’t just dust yourself off and get on with your life. I was interested in what would happen to these women next. And we’ll find out.”
While the first season went out in 2022, fans won’t have much longer to wait for series 2. It’s expected sometime in 2024 as filming has already finished.
Although exact plot details are being kept firmly under wraps for now, Anne-Marie Duff did recently tease: “Oh, baby, there’s a twist and turn! I can’t tell you, I suspect there are snipers everywhere.”
She was speaking on the podcast Dish from Waitrose, with Angela Hartnett and Nick Grimshaw.
What did Anne-Marie Duff say to King Charles?
Anne-Marie Duff once dropped an X-rated clanger while chatting with Prince Charles, now the King.
In an interview with The Guardian, the actress spoke about the “embarrassing” moment she made a frank admission about her then-husband, actor James McAvoy, in conversation with the Duke of Cornwall.
The royal had asked about their relationship and how it works, given how busy they are with their respective careers.
Anne-Marie said: “My most embarrassing moment involved Prince Charles. I was at a premiere with my ex-husband. Prince Charles said, ‘I suppose you two never see each other. I said ‘we see each other in bed’.”
Why did Anne-Marie Duff and husband James McAvoy split?
Anne-Marie and James McAvoy fell in love on the set of Channel 4‘s Paul Abbott comedy Shameless in 2004. He played Steve, while Anne-Marie portrayed his girlfriend (later wife) Fiona Gallagher.
Anne-Marie and James married in 2006, and were easily one of the public’s most popular couples. However, their fans were shocked when they divorced 10 years later. In 2016, the couple announced they were separating with a joint statement.
It said: “It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce. We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son.”
It continued: “We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our child’s privacy during this time.”
To ease the transition for their son, they initially shared their £1.9million four-bedroom house together in North London.
Anne-Marie later discussed the break-up during an interview with The Times in 2018. She said: “Divorce is a profound, difficult experience. It just is. It’s a bit like you go to bed and you wake up holding hands in a hurricane. And nobody gave you any storm warnings.
“And, if you are recognisable, you can’t leave the hurricane at home, because you walk down the street and everyone knows you are holding hands with the hurricane. They mean well and they are well-wishers but, they are strangers, so you have to deal with that for a while and be as big a version of yourself as you can be.”
The divorced couple both starred in the first series of BBC One’s adaptation of His Dark Materials, but didn’t share any scenes.
What has James McAvoy said about the split?
Together star James and Anne-Marie usually try to remain tight-lipped when it comes to their personal lives. However, during an interview with Mr Porter magazine, James did discuss how he was coping following the break-up.
He said: “My life has changed massively. At the same time so much has stayed the same. One of the things that’s stayed the same is that I still don’t talk about my personal life, really.”
James added: “Me and Anne-Marie, when we were together, it was our policy not to speak about each other in public. We rarely broke that and if we did, it was for tiny things – ‘yes, we are cooking turkey this Christmas’ – and that policy still stands.
“Even separated, we’re still respectful of each other and committed to doing that publicly and personally.”
James is now married to his second wife Lisa Liberati, an American who he wed in 2022. They met on the set of the film Split, where she was working as a production assistant.
The couple confirmed their relationship on social media just months after his divorce was finalised.
Who is the husband of Anne-Marie Duff? Is she dating?
The actress is thought to be currently single. Since her divorce, the actress has been prioritising spending more time with her son Brendan.
At first, she signed up for more stage work instead of taking on film and TV jobs. She told The Times: “Theatre also meant I could be with my boy. That’s a massive thing for me. It’s all about logistics when you’ve got a kid, isn’t it?
“Perhaps I needed to inhabit myself a bit more again.”
Does Anne-Marie have children?
Anne-Marie has one son with her ex-husband James McAvoy. Brendan was born in 2010. He is a teenager, and around 14.
Meanwhile, James reportedly welcomed an infant son with his new wife Lisa Liberati. However, James has not confirmed this publicly.
How old is Anne-Marie Duff? Is she Irish?
Anne-Marie Duff was born on October 08, 1970, in London, England.
She is currently 53 years of age.
The actress is the youngest child of Irish immigrants – her painter and decorator dad, and shop worker mum. The family lived in Southall, London, and Anne-Marie attended Mellow Lane School as a girl.
At an early age, she attended a local youth theatre, Young Argosy, to help her with her shyness. After further study of Film and Theatre, she attended the Drama Centre in London at the age of 19.
Read more: Channel 4 shares first look photos of Suspect series 2 with stars Anne-Marie Duff and Dominic Cooper
Anne-Marie Duff stars in Suspect series 2, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 9pm on Channel 4.
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