Douglas Booth has opened up about what surprised him most about Michelle Keegan after working with the actress for the first time on ITV's new drama series, The Blame.
The 39-year-old Manchester-born actress stars as DI Emma Crane, a detective investigating the murder of a teenage skater. Booth portrays her colleague and on-screen love interest, DI Tom Radley.
First impressions of Michelle Keegan
Speaking to The Metro, Booth admitted he had not met Keegan before but knew she was "famously one of the nicest people in the business". He added: "She's so good. It helps any job you do if you get on really well with your co-star."
"But she's also like superwoman, she's just had a baby. Incredible mum, incredible professional."
When asked whether she could be the "next Sheridan Smith", described by the newspaper as "the Queen of British TV", Booth shared what had caught him off guard about her career.
A national sweetheart
"What surprised me is that she actually hasn't been in that much stuff because she's been doing it for so long. But she's just in really good things," he said.
Booth also revealed he had witnessed "first-hand" how adored she is by both crew and fans. "She is a national sweetheart," he continued, describing her as "relatable".
Keegan first rose to fame in Coronation Street and has since appeared in Our Girl, Brassic and Fool Me Once. She is married to former The Only Way Is Essex star Mark Wright, with whom she has a one-year-old daughter named Palma.
Balancing motherhood and filming
Speaking to Grazia, Keegan discussed balancing lengthy filming schedules with motherhood. "Listen, I think I went in blinded. Obviously I agreed to the role before I had Palma, because I was so excited by it. I think you just believe that you're going to be fine," she shared.
"And of course I can do it, loads of women work full-time and are a mum. But it is hard. It's really hard."
She added: "I had long days and had to go home and learn a lot of lines for the next day and be fresh, but still look after the baby at night when she was up. Luckily Mark's brilliant, he's a great partner and he's such a good dad as well."
Keegan and Wright married at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in 2015. Reflecting on a shift in their relationship in 2024, she jokingly described them as having become "boring".
She told Closer Magazine: "I am happy to have a night on the sofa with our dogs watching TV and relaxing, but we do still like getting dressed up and go out for dinner."
"In the old days we'd go out for dinner and drinks until the early hours. But now after dinner, I'll look at my watch and say, 'Its 9.30pm, we'd better get back home for bedtime'. It's a bit more boring now."
The Blame continues tonight at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
