Celebrity Traitors and Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh is set to get a Lifetime Achievement award for her contribution to stage and screen at the brand new Great British Theatre Awards
Celebrity Traitors star Julie Hesmondhalgh is about to get a Lifetime Achievement Award. The actress, who is currently starring as a faithful in the BBC’s hit game show, will be honoured at the Great British Theatre Awards.
The inaugural ceremony will take place in London on 2 November. Among the awards being handed out to theatres across the country, Julie will be given the Lifetime Achievement award in recognition for her 32-year career on stage and screen, as well as her work as a champion for regional theatres.
Both Julie at the Theatres Trust, who are organising the awards, have pushed for regional theatres to stay open so that everyone can access theatre and live performances no matter where they live. Joshua McTaggert, chief executive of the trust, said: “There is no one in the public eye who embodies this spirit more than Julie Hesmondhalgh.
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“Julie has used her platform as one of the country’s most beloved actors to bang the drum for inclusive and equitable access to the performing arts and champion important community theatres.”
Julie has also often worked in theatres away from the West End when she takes to the stage. Her theatre credits include playing Sylvia Lancaster in Black Roses and Vivian Bearing in Wit, both at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. She is also a founding member of Manchester-based. grassroots organisation Take Back, which aims to create work around social issues.
Away from the stage, Julie has built up a huge career on the telly, going back to 1994, when she was in an episode of The Bill. Her big break came when she got the role of Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street. As Hayley, Julie appeared in almost 1,500 episodes of the show across 15 years. She also made history, as Hayley was the first transgender character in a British soap.
Julie has also starred in Happy Valley, Broadchurch and Mr Bates vs The Post Office. She is currently in the second series of Celebrity Traitors, where she was voted the most trustworthy in the very first episode. Due to the accolade, she was able to take a shield and give one to someone else, for which she chose Joe Lycett.
But this briefly backfired, because some in the castle started to wonder if the vote was a ploy by host Claudia Winkleman to get the contestants to secretly choose the Traitors of the season. However, Julie was able to deflect suspicion away from her, with help from actual traitor Richard E. Grant, who declared himself as such in a room full of people.
Julie is also set to appear in upcoming Call the Midwife spin off Sisters in Arms. The prequel series, which is set to air three episodes at Christmas, will follow a group of nurse midwives in the East End of London during the Second World War.
Julie plays Sister Alice, a new character who is a nurse, midwife and nun. She is joined by Helen Schlesinger as Sister Monica Joan, who was played by Judy Parfitt in the original series, Amy Booth-Steel as a younger version of Pam Ferris’ Sister Evangelina, and Helena Wilson as Sister Julienne. The original actress for Sister Julienne, Jenny Agutter, will narrate the series.
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