Actress Lorraine Cheshire, best known for her roles in Waterloo Road and Trollied, has died at the age of 65. Her partner, John Dixon, confirmed the news in a Facebook post, writing: 'The love of my life passed away early this morning 46 years, and now my heart is broken. To the green fields beyond.'
Cheshire began her acting career in 1999 with the TV show The Cops, later appearing in Holby City, Early Doors, and Life on Mars. She joined Waterloo Road in 2007 as Fleur Budgen, appearing in several episodes over five years. More recently, she starred in Channel 4's Ackley Bridge as Lorraine Bird and in the comedy series Trollied as Sue. Her final project was the short film Incompatible, in which she played Pauline.
Tributes have poured in from colleagues and fans. Early Doors co-star Christine Bottomley shared an image of a lit candle, a glass of brandy, and a Coca-Cola on Instagram, captioned: 'No words today.' Anthony Crank called her 'one of the kindest, funniest, beautiful and caring souls I ever had the privilege to know.' Trollied co-star Chanel Cresswell wrote: 'Lozza thank you for being a friend to me. I'll miss you so so much. You was one of a kind.'
Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Cheshire began acting at age 38 after graduating from drama school. She once said of starting later: 'It was difficult with all the kids there, but after about a year I settled down and got on with it.' She credited her husband for encouraging her and recalled learning on the job, including being told by a director: 'Lorraine, love, you don't have to shout. We have a microphone!'
