Rivals actress Katherine Parkinson has spoken publicly for the first time about a violent assault that left her unconscious, hospitalised, and with a broken nose. The 48-year-old, who plays Lizzie Vereker in the Disney+ drama, said the attack occurred in 2005 when she was a struggling stage actress staying in cheap accommodation outside London.
Parkinson recounted the incident on the How To Fail podcast, explaining she intervened after a man with a history of violence became aggressive towards a female colleague. 'I said 'leave her alone' and he knocked me out cold and broke my nose,' she said. The attacker was arrested and later imprisoned for actual bodily harm.
Recovering in hospital, the actress said she faced judgement rather than sympathy. 'I remember somebody saying to me, 'What were you doing?' There was a sense that I had brought it on myself.' She added that being surrounded by wealthier friends from university had already made her feel like a 'cheaper commodity'.
Despite her injuries, Parkinson returned to work the following week, performing on stage with an eye patch. 'I had a terribly messed-up face for a while and I felt a judgment from people that didn't know me,' she said, describing assumptions that she was 'a hard person that lived a hard life'.
Now married to actor Harry Peacock and a mother of two, Parkinson admitted the assault left lasting anxiety, particularly about her daughters walking alone. 'I'm giving myself, now I'm 48, just a bit more licence to realise that your experience informs who you are. Unfortunately, a literal smack in the face changes you,' she concluded.
