Maddy Smedley, who shot to fame on the very first series of The Traitors, has opened up about feeling “lonely” during her pregnancy and shared the personal connection to her new acting role
Maddy Smedley has admitted to feeling “really lonely” during her pregnancy. The actress, 33, who found fame when she appeared as a contestant on the first series of The Traitors, is now a doting mum to two-year-old Shelby with her partner Tom Greenwood but recalled the time she was expecting was not exactly a happy one.
The TV star, who has bolstered her acting career since her stint on Claudia Winkleman’s hit BBC game show, had landed the part of Faye Fuller on Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks during that time, and this meant she had to spend a lot of time away from home.
When Maddy, who has also appeared in EastEnders, was asked about future projects, she told The Mirror: “I really loved Small Prophets. It was on the BBC recently, and it’s like a sitcom about this man who’s lonely and he’s growing these creatures in jars.
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“But I love Mackenzie Crook’s writing. I’d love to do something like that. It’s so heart warming. But I’d never say no to soaps. They’re great.
“I really did enjoy my time in Hollyoaks. I think because I was pregnant, it was a difficult time in terms of like…when you’re staying in hotels and stuff . Even though I had Shelby with me I felt really lonely but that was just because you’re going through a lot but I really did enjoy it and I’d never say no to doing all [the soaps].”
Maddy, who also appeared in Call the Midwife and has a regular role in ITV2’s Piglets opposite Mark Heap and Sarah Parish, is now taking on the title role in Willy Russell’s classic play Educating Rita, the same writer behind other working-class dramas like Shirley Valentine and Blood Brothers.
Maddy explained that parenthood is still a really tricky thing to navigate as a working actress and she has to be really careful about what kind of opportunities she takes on in order to make sure that she be there for her daughter, even though the little one was not too taken with the accent she has had to learn for the latest role.
She added: “It’s really hard. It’s a hard juggle because it’s like two jobs and my main one is obviously my daughter but then I could only say yes to this sort of theatre job because, say, if it was a year-running one, I’d hardly ever see her. I would hate that. I’ve been practising the accent for her when I read some of her stories!
“And she always goes, ‘Mummy, do it properly’. So she doesn’t like me doing the Liverpudlian. So I’m reading like The Gruffalo and all stuff like that in this Liverpudlian accent of mine, as Rita . She wasn’t too impressed with that.
“But I can’t wait, I’ve got a few more weeks of this show. Like, I am enjoying it. but I am excited to go back to normal and see her.”
Educating Rita follows a young woman who, at a loss with the mundane nature of her life as a hairstylist, goes back to school to get an education. The play originally premiered in 1980 and was famously adapted into a film in 1983, starring Dame Julie Walters in the title role, alongside Michael Caine as her teacher Frank.
The part has previously been played by Coronation Street legend Sarah Lancashire and Brookside’s Claire Sweeney amongst a host of other British actresses over the years, but it is arguably Dame Julie, also known for her roles in Harry Potter, Mamma Mia! and Billy Elliot, whose portrayal is the most famous.
Maddy explained there was a “pressure” to simply replicate such an iconic part but also enjoys being able to have her own take on it, especially because her mum was in a similar situation to the character at one point. She added: “Yeah, I think there is that pressure, but then, it’s nice if you have your take on it. My mum went to Open University – there’s four of us – and just to make a living, she did an Open University course.
“But I imagined her as a bit of like a Rita character and I think I’ve always dreamt big because of that. My mum’s always instilled a sense of drive and ambition within us. Yeah, I’ve just tried to give it that sort of take and I think because I’m from a working class background, I think that’s quite important as well.
“My mum came on the first night and she didn’t tell me she was coming but I knew she’d do this because about eight years ago I was in this Shakespeare play, and and we went around these churches and we went to Brighton Open Air Theatre and she just kept turning up to watch me!
“I get I get more nervous if I know she’s in there but then I started the first scene and I spotted her straight away. But it was lovely. I love her with all my heart. So, yeah, I’m chuffed. She loved it!”
Educating Rita is currently running at Reading Rep Theatre. For tickets and more information, click here.
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