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'I haven't seen this reaction to cancer on TV before': Fay Ripley on her Cold Feet cancer storyline (Exclusive)

Ripley spoke to us about her upcoming Cold Feet storyline. (PA Images)
Ripley spoke to us about her upcoming Cold Feet storyline. (PA Images)

ITV’s Cold Feet revealed a new twist to its latest series this week. Jenny Gifford, played by Fay Ripley, suffered a terrifying cancer scare, which left many viewers in tears.

And we sat down with Ripley to find out more about this hard-hitting storyline, and how it will play out in the ever popular comedy-drama series.

“Jenny will deal with it a very unique and individual way. It will be in a way that is quite surprising. One thing is she won’t tell anyone.

“When I first read this I thought ‘Oh my god I would tell everyone!’ because I would be scared. But the thing about fear is we all react differently and she is initially puts her head in the sand and does not want to say it out loud.

“And I haven’t really seen this reaction to cancer on TV before and I liked it and all these characters are as flawed as they are wonderful and I think that the unexpected is the thing we like about Cold Feet,” Ripley told us.

But she added that while the storyline is undoubtedly a highly sensitive one, there will be plenty of humour injected into even its darkest moments, a feat which Ripley says comes easily to her as an actress.

Fay Ripley with her ‘Cold Feet’ co-star John Thomson. (REX/Shutterstock)
Fay Ripley with her ‘Cold Feet’ co-star John Thomson. (REX/Shutterstock)

“I really genuinely believe I’m at my funniest when I’m in an ambulance! My jokes don’t get any better than at this point. I’ve been in a couple and it’s a very British reaction.

“I hope that is what we have achieved, although you are dealing with it sensitively, you are also saying ‘yeah but real life goes on around you,'” she said.

Tragically, Ripley was filming the cancer scare scenes while her late father was dying in hospital. A harrowing time that Ripley says she would have struggled to get through if not for the support of her Cold Feet cast and crew.

“To be honest that was got me through, my friends on screen and off screen, the crew and cast were incredibly sweet and supportive and continued to be on what was a very difficult time,” she said.

But on a more positive outcome, Ripley says that after her character Jenny joins a choir consisting of cancer patients in Cold Feet, she was inspired to encourage her own mother to join one.

“I loved the choir experience on Cold Feet so much. My mum went for the first time on Saturday and she absolutely loved it! So she’s started in a choir and I’m chuffed!

“Honestly filming it was such a lovely and uniting experience. But for me personally it wouldn’t work because I’m a show-off and I’d want to get all the attention! I couldn’t just sing along with everyone else!”

Cold Feet continues on ITV.


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