In a new exclusive interview, Waterloo Road’s Kym Marsh details an “unusual relationship” she has had over the years that she has finally managed to break up with.
Between rehearsals for her new play, Abigail’s Party , presenting BBC show Morning Live and appearing on screen in Waterloo Road , Kym Marsh is rushed off her feet when we sit down for an exclusive interview with her. “I’ve got a busy few weeks, lots to do,” she laughs as we ask how she is.
And the 48-year-old’s doting mother and grandmother seem to have very little downtime. “It’s pretty difficult to juggle it all”, she admits.
“But I work hard and enjoy spending quality time with my family,” she continued. So, when I’m not working, I tend to just hang out with them, because that makes up for the time that I’m busy. Making time for family is very important, in my opinion.
With former partners Dave Cunliffe and Emilie, 28, and youngest Polly, 14, with former husband Jamie Lomas, Kym divides the children. In 2009, she and Jamie also had a son, Archie, who was born 18 weeks early and sadly died moments after birth. She is also the grandmother of Clayton and Teddy, Emilie’s step-daughter, and Polly, Emilie’s other son.
After a grueling six-month romance, newly single Kym reportedly broke up with her boyfriend Samuel Thomas, 29.
However, the actress stays resolutely secret when we inquire about her potential future dates, which is understandable. One thing she is more than happy to discuss is her grandkids, as Kym lights up when she tells us she’s hoping her clan gets even bigger.
She reveals, “I love being a grandma. It’s one of the best jobs in the world, and I’m hoping that I get more of them. I have a brilliant relationship with my children and my grandchildren, and I love spending time with them. I’ve always been very family-oriented.
We are a very, very close family, and that’s come across before. I feel very fortunate that I have enough energy to be able to be involved, we go on holidays together pretty much every year. It’s nice to be so involved in their lives as I watch them participate in their after-school clubs.
Kym, who became a grandparent at the age of 42, jokes that her grandkids are her biggest supporters, explaining how the young people refer to her as “yaya.” Polly and Teddy came to watch me in 101 Dalmatians last year]Kym played the show’s baddie Cruella De Vil] and Teddy said, ‘ I didn’t even boo you, because you’re my yaya. ‘ ” “
Emilie, Kym’s daughter, is working as a singer-songwriter and actress, and has performed on stage with her mother on numerous occasions. This is evidence of Kym’s love of showbusiness.
And Kym says her youngest, Polly, is hoping to follow suit, too. However, her family won’t have any ” nepo baby” fame. She claims that Polly has viewed my TV and has since stated that she wants to spend the rest of her life watching me. So, hopefully I’ve inspired her. I could possibly assist her with coaching, but not when it comes to doing well.
You need to have your own talent in order to succeed in this challenging industry. Emilie is the same, she’s auditioning and doing drama classes. It takes effort.
Kym is the person who is best known for her hard work, having first gained fame as a member of Hear ‘Say in 2001 and having a coveted spot in the band thanks to the reality TV series Popstars: The Rivals.
She then appeared on Coronation Street, taking on the popular character of Michelle Connor, who she portrayed for almost 14 years before leaving the cobbles in 2019.
Kym has since been juggling a career in TV and theatre, appearing as Nicky Walters in the hit school drama Waterloo Road since 2023. She tells us that stage and screen have her heart in equal measure, despite the fact that she is currently in her 15th season of the show.
Kym continues, “This will be my fourth performance in four years. I’ve done theatre now every year for the past three years.” I feel very lucky that I’m getting to do both screen and theatre, I love both equally. It’s a privilege for me to do what I do.
Alongside her acting career, Kym tried her hand at dancing back in 2022, with an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing. Looking back at her time on the glitzy BBC contest, she says, “I did love Strictly . It was beautiful and a great experience. Strictly was really the only show I wanted to do because it was kind of teaching me a skill. I don’t think I’d want to do Dancing On Ice because I’d be too scared that I’d really injure myself. But I never say never to these kinds of shows.”
When we ask Kym if she still dances, she laughs, before admitting, “Oh, no, I don’t have time for that, I don’t have time to be dancing”!
She will turn 50 in June 2026, which will make her a milestone year. When we ask her if she is excited to start a new decade, she responds, “Looking forward to” is a bit of a stretch, but it will be good fun.”
Admitting she’s going to go big on the celebrations, she adds, “I’m not going to do anything too extravagant for my birthday this year because next year is the big one, I’m saving all of my credits for then! I’ll undoubtedly milk it for what it’s worth.
There is no disputing Kym’s incredible appearance, even though she may not be overjoyed at the age of 50. And one reason for her glow is that focusing on her health has become a priority for her in recent years – including quitting smoking.
After going back and forth on the habit for 25 years, Kym says she finally decided enough was enough. “I used to smoke cigarettes and one of the best things I ever did was giving up smoking,” says Kym, who is supporting the NHS campaign to encourage the six million smokers in the UK to quit the habit.
To be honest, I dipped in and out of smoking and was a frequent smoker. I’d probably go for days and days without having one before suddenly I’d start smoking again.
” So, for me, it was a case of, ‘ Why am I doing this? ‘ Why was I being drawn in if I didn’t feel like I needed it?
Kym continues, “I have children and I have grandchildren, and I think I want to make sure that I’m around to see all of the great and important things that are happening in their lives.” “I want to make a healthy lifestyle a priority so she can live as long as possible,” Kym continues. That was my main reason behind it, to make sure I’m still around for my family.
It’s one of those situations where you think, “I want to be here,” when you have children of your own and then grandchildren. I want to make sure I’m choosing healthy choices, and smoking wasn’t one of them.
And Kym has already noticed herself feeling fitter since kicking the habit. She claims that she would experience horrible nausea the day after smoking. I’ve always felt congested and a little coughing in my chest. When I stopped smoking, that kind of disappeared. You look better, your skin smells better, and I was able to taste things better. You can usually tell when those significant differences occur.
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