Gillian Taylforth, one of the original cast members, is observing EastEnders’ 40th anniversary this week.
The BBC show – which launched on February 19 in 1985 – is marking the occasion with an hour-long episode and a live episode, as well as a public vote. Numerous lives have already been in danger as a result of an explosion at the Queen Vic.
Gillian, 69, has been part of a major storyline in the build-up to the anniversary which centred on her character Kathy Beale’s daughter-in-law Cindy Beale (played by Michelle Collins) being attacked at Christmas Day. Fans have been looking forward to learning the character’s nearly-death character since then.
When Cindy confronted her partner Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) with a gun on Tuesday night, he suggested that Peter Beale, their son, was the assailant (Thomas Law). Then Kathy revealed that it was her and came out shortly after. Later, they were caught in the pub explosion, and it’s not yet known whether Kathy or Cindy will survive.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s anniversary episode, and Thursday’s live instalment, the Mirror has taken a look at Gillian’s life off-screen, which has attracted attention over the years. It provides an explanation of her relationships and why she is alleged to have been cast almost exclusively in Kathy’s role.
Career
Gillian was raised in the area and was born in Islington in 1955. After having previously appeared in programs like Hi-de-Hi!, the actor was a founding member of EastEnders when it first premiered in 1985. earlier in her acting career.
In the first episode, her character, Kathy, was introduced along with her husband Pete Beale (Peter Dean), their son Ian, and a few of her in-law family members. Before resuming her role in 2015, Gillian remained on the show until 2000. Prior to now, it was said that Kathy was meant to be older than Gillian, with the character reportedly aging to be around 74. Gilligan, who is 69 years old and about five years her junior, is said to have surprised viewers by her recent real age.
The actor said that she was initially deemed “too young” to play Kathy in the EastEnders Family Album special in 2000, before saying, “Co-creator Tony Holland was sitting there working out dates and if I could have had this son, Ian, that I was supposed to have at… “yes, you could have had him at 18 or 16 or something like that.”
Gillian has appeared in other shows like Footballers’ Wives, in which she played Jackie Pascoe, since making her acting debut. She has also acted in the roles of Sgt. Nikki Wright appears on Hollyoaks alongside Sandy Roscoe and Bill. She’s also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing.
Family and relationships
Gillian was once in a relationship with her co-star Nick Berry, now 61, who played her on-screen step-son Simon Wicks on the show. According to legend, the coworkers allegedly dated between 1985 and 1988 when they decided to end their relationship.
She and Geoff Knights ended up together for 20 years after moving on to a long-term relationship. They welcomed two children together, Jessica, now 32, and Harrison, now 25, during their relationship. A turbulent relationship between the former couple, which has since gained media attention. As previously reported, Gillian once described the decision to separate as “really tough”, adding: “You don’t just stop having feelings for someone”.
She said that there was “no real catalyst” for the break-up but that “things weren’t going the way they should”. Gillian said that she didn’t want them to be “constantly rowing” and admitted that the couple had “often clashed”. According to Gillian, “Geoff and I have fiery personalities, and we frequently clashed and went through stages of not talking.” Sometimes I’ve been portrayed as this victim, but it’s not like that. I’m feisty and I do answer back”.
She continued by saying that “eventually” she “plucked up the courage” to tell Geoff that she didn’t want them to continue in the way that they had been. He then admitted to having “been thinking about moving out anyway,” Gilligan claimed. Recalling the end of their relationship, she said that they had started to “grow apart” and were “spending more time” apart. She said that their kids were growing up, adding: “I thought, ‘ I just want to do what I want to do for once'”.
Geoff passed away in November 2013 at the age of 58 after only three months of receiving a stomach cancer diagnosis. The following month, Gillian was a member of the mourners at his Hertfordshire funeral.
In 2012, she began dating former stockbroker Dave Fairbairn after falling in love with Geoff. They reportedly split in 2017 but later reconciled, before separating for good in 2019. More recently, it was reported that Gillian was dating company director Philip Oag, who was alleged to be the company’s operations director in a London cosmetic clinic.
Gillian isn’t the only actor in her family as her sister Kim Taylforth, 68, has also worked in the industry. She’s been in London’s Burning and Bad Girls, as well as soap operas like Family Affairs. And she once reprised her role on Hollyoaks in 2017 as Auntie Christine, the sister of Sandy Gillian.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply