Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh has avoided a driving disqualification after arguing to London magistrates that she was the only one who could visit her elderly mother in an emergency.
The 63-year-old, who starred as Lady Danbury in the Netflix period drama, appeared at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court in south London on Wednesday (August 12), PA reported.
Ms Andoh admitted speeding at 25mph in a 20mph zone in nearby Dulwich on the afternoon of February 13.
Exceptional hardship argument
The court heard she already had nine points on her driving licence before the offence and was facing a further three, meaning she would be disqualified from driving.
However, magistrates decided not to hand the actress a ban after Andoh and her defence successfully argued it would cause her “exceptional hardship” as she would not be able to drive and reach her elderly mother in an emergency.
The court heard the actress lived in London while her 85-year-old mother lived alone, a four-hour drive away.
Mother's fragility and emergency care
Her mother has no carers and suffers from an “increasing level of fragility”, the hearing was told.
Asked by the magistrate what she would do if she was working and she got an emergency call about her mother, the actress said: “If I have to go, I have to go. I’ve only got one mum.”
Andoh explained that none of her children can drive and that her brother lives in Los Angeles. “If it’s an emergency it would be me,” she said.
Fine and points
The actress was handed a fine and told to pay costs of £1,026 to the court. She was also given three points on her driving licence.
Andoh has appeared in Doctor Who as the Doctor’s assistant Martha Jones’ mother and had roles in Netflix’s fantasy drama The Witcher, EastEnders and Casualty.
