Sarah Lancashire: "I Truly Believe That Gender Has Nothing To Do With Who You Fall For"
Sarah Lancashire, 52, has two grown-up sons from her first marriage to composer Gary Hargreaves, and a 12-year-old son with her TV producer husband Peter Salmon. She lives in London. Sarah plays Caroline in Last Tango in Halifax.
I don't want to give too much away, but when we meet Caroline again, there's a new woman in her life - and she's quite dramatically younger! It wasn't anything Caroline consciously set out to find; she's certainly not dating because she's still very much grieving the loss of Kate, but this woman who lives locally pursues her and Caroline finds herself in a bit of a situation. It's not a relationship, it's more of an "encounter". Her life has actually moved on quite significantly in all areas - her daughter, Flora, is about two years old now, she's moved house and she's also about to start a new job at a different school. It's all change!
I think Caroline has hit a nerve with a lot of women. She's been married to a man for a very long time and she has this sudden realisation that she needs to be true and honest to herself - I know there are so many women who have been in a similar situation. I got lovely feedback about her and Kate's love affair from women in their midlife who have embarked on same-sex relationships. It was a huge sense of relief that I didn't upset anybody and they were happy with the portrayal.
I truly believe that love is love and gender is immaterial. So I didn't speak to anyone or do any research into what it's like to leave a marriage for a same-sex relationship - because I don't think gender has anything to do with who you fall for. It's irrelevant, isn't it?
I have to admit, I won't be watching the special (watching myself back is never a joyful experience!) - I normally spend my Christmas in the kitchen doing the cooking instead! I will be watching Sally Wainwright's other show, To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters though - I'm so excited that the hairs are actually standing up on my arms just thinking about it! In the meantime, I'm keeping occupied with Tutankhamun - it's become my Sunday night fix now that Downton Abbey's gone.
People are always asking if a there's a third series of Happy Valley on its way - well, the answer is that I don't know! It's not something we're in discussions about because Sally [Wainwright] is busy doing other things at the moment, but she has said she'd like to write another one. One of the reasons it's such a good piece though is because she does it in her time - there's nobody sitting on her shoulder saying, "Deliver it, deliver it, deliver it!" The more we do that, the less likely she is to write it!
What am I doing in 2017? I'm actually unemployed at the moment! Maybe Nicola [Walker] and I should set up shop in a café and write something together. We'd probably end up just eating the cake though. In fact, I'd love to open my own tearoom...
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The Last Tango in Halifax Christmas Special airs on BBC One in two parts this December.
Natalie Whittle is a British journalist specialising in celebrity content in the women's lifestyle sector. She previously held the role of Celebrity Director at Woman & Home and has also worked at Prima, Red & Good Housekeeping.
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