Jill Halfpenny, the actor known for roles in EastEnders, Coronation Street and Humans, has opened up about her lifelong struggle with grief, shyness and the pressures of early fame. Born in Gateshead in 1975, she landed her first major role at 14 in Byker Grove, but the attention brought bullying at school. 'The culture was to denigrate – to make me feel stupid,' she recalls.
Halfpenny's father died of a heart attack when she was four, a loss that was never addressed. 'I liked to stay busy. I was always filling my time trying not to think,' she says. Dancing became an outlet, and she later realised that the pain of ballet taught her how to cope with grief: 'If you stay with the pain it gets a lot easier.'
Despite her success, including an Olivier Award for Legally Blonde the Musical, Halfpenny felt empty inside during her 20s. 'My relationships were breaking down, and I started to question if I even wanted to be an actor,' she says. She credits her mother's unwavering support for helping her pursue her dreams without a backup plan.
Now, with a memoir about navigating grief published in 2024 and a new role in The Feud on Channel 5, Halfpenny reflects on her journey. 'Some days, I still struggle,' she admits, but she has learned to embrace both the joy and the pain.
