Anna Friel's 'Brookside' Thanks

1 month ago 25th Sep 12:30

Anna Friel will always be grateful to 'Brookside'.

The actress - who is now a star in the US thanks to her role in 'Pushing Daisies' and is currently playing Holly Golightly in the West End stage show of 'Breakfast At Tiffany's' - says winning the role of Beth Jordache at the age of 16 in the Channel 4 soap helped launch her on the road to stardom.

' No matter what I do, like a big massive anchor round my neck

She said: "My partner David says to me, 'When you're 80, it will be 'Brookside'...' No matter what I do, like a big massive anchor round my neck."

"But I'd be an absolute idiot to say, 'Gosh I don't realise what that did for me'. It would be so ungrateful. I thank the day when they said 'You're going to play Beth Jordache'. To do something that's still remembered now, I suppose I have to think there are not many things like that."

In 'Brookside' - which has since been axed - Anna shared the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss in television history and was involved in the show's most famous storyline when and her mother killed and buried the teenager's abusive father under the patio.