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Jill Halfpenny

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Jill Halfpenny
Born (1975-07-15) 15 July 1975 (age 49)
Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England
Occupations
  • Actress
  • voiceover artist
Years active1989–present
Spouse
Craig Conway
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2010)​
Children1
RelativesChelsea Halfpenny (niece)

Jill Halfpenny (born 15 July 1975) is an English actress who first garnered attention playing Nicola Dobson in the coming-of-age BBC drama series Byker Grove (1989–1992). She became more widely known for her roles as Rebecca Hopkins on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (1999–2000), Kate Mitchell on the BBC soap opera EastEnders (2002–2005), and Izzie Redpath in Waterloo Road (2006–2007). Her other notable credits include Babylon (2014), In the Club (2014–2016), Humans (2015), Three Girls (2017), Liar (2017–2020), Dark Money (2019), The Drowning (2021), and The Long Shadow (2023). She won the second series of the television dance contest Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.

For her portrayal of Paulette Bonafonté in the original West End run of Legally Blonde (2010–2011), Halfpenny received the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. Her other stage credits include Chicago (West End, 2005), Calendar Girls (West End, 2009), Abigail's Party (West End, 2012), Way Upstream (Chichester Festival Theatre, 2015), The Girl on the Train (Leeds Playhouse, 2018), and A Taste of Honey (Royal Exchange, 2024).

Career

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1989–2004: Television debut, soap roles, and Strictly Come Dancing

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Halfpenny began her professional career in 1989 when she joined the cast of the Newcastle-based children's drama series Byker Grove,[1] playing the part of Nicola Dobson until 1992. Following guest star appearances on shows such as The Bill, Birds of a Feather, and Peak Practice, she landed the part of staff nurse Rebecca Hopkins on ITV's Coronation Street; a role she played between 1999 and 2000. The character was involved in a high-profile affair storyline with Martin Platt, eventually leading to the breakdown of Platt's marriage.[2]

In December 2002, Halfpenny took on the role of Kate Mitchell on BBC One's EastEnders. The character—an undercover policewoman—was introduced as a honeytrap for Phil Mitchell, with the intent of coaxing him into a murder confession; her cover was eventually blown and, having fallen in love with him, she became Mitchell's wife. It was revealed in October 2004 that the character had been axed, with her final scenes airing in January the following year.[3]

Between October and December 2004, Halfpenny competed in the second series of the celebrity ballroom dancing contest Strictly Come Dancing, where she was paired with professional dancer Darren Bennett. The couple were crowned the winners of the competition during its live final on 11 December 2004, after receiving the maximum 40 marks from the judging panel.[4] That same week, it was announced that Halfpenny would star as Roxie Hart in the West End musical Chicago, beginning in January 2005.[5]

2005–2017: Stage roles, Waterloo Road, and presenting work

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Halfpenny earned critical praise for her performance in The Bodies, a play adapted from an Émile Zola novel by Peter Flannery, which ran from June to July 2005 at Newcastle's Live Theatre.[6] Describing her work as the "dangerously crazed" Thérèse, The Guardian commented, "Halfpenny, forced to remain impassive at the outset, is tough and moving in her portrayal of [the character's] descent into madness".[7] Next, she made a cameo appearance as a Geordie nanny on The Catherine Tate Show;[8] guest-starred on Channel 4's Shameless as a violent ex-jailbird;[9] hosted the debut episode of the BBC musical theatre tribute The Sound of Musicals,[10] where she performed songs from My Fair Lady and Moulin Rouge!; and began playing the regular part of schoolteacher Izzie Redpath on the BBC's Waterloo Road, for which she won the 2007 TV Quick Award for "Best Actress".[11] The character was later killed in an accidental stabbing during the finale of the show's second series, which aired on 26 April 2007.[12] That same year, she narrated the BBC Three documentary series Freaky Eaters and the Channel 4 one-off special Fat Man's Warning.[13]

Halfpenny appeared as Norma Farnes—Spike Milligan's long-suffering manager—in Richard Harris's Surviving Spike, which opened at the Theatre Royal, Windsor in February 2008. In his review for The Independent, critic Julian Hall felt that Halfpenny's performance "lends added zip to what is already a tightly written play ... [she] successfully evokes the tenacity that Farnes must have had to [endure Milligan]".[14] Her next roles on stage were Cora in Calendar Girls (July to October 2009)[15] and Paulette Bonafonté in the West End production of Legally Blonde, which opened in January 2010.[16] She earned particularly strong notices for her performance in the latter,[17][18] winning the Theatregoers' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role.[19][20]

In March 2012, Halfpenny headlined a revival of Mike Leigh's 1977 play Abigail's Party at the Menier Chocolate Factory, which later transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre for four months.[21] Her portrayal of the snobbish Beverly was warmly received, with The Guardian's Kate Kellaway calling her "fantastic", adding: [she] perfectly catches Bev's dark side – her selfishness, sexual frustration and dangerous stupidity".[22] She then portrayed the matriarch of a 1940s household in the supernatural horror miniseries Lightfields, which aired between February and March 2013.[23]

Halfpenny featured in two major television projects in 2014: first, the Kay Mellor-produced BBC One drama series In the Club, where she played an expectant first-time mother, and then Channel 4's seven-part satirical comedy series Babylon, in which she co-starred as PC Davina Bancroft. In September that same year, she narrated a segment on the history of North East England as part of the televised opening ceremony for the Great North Run.[24] She then appeared as a timid middle-class holidaymaker in Alan Ayckbourn's Way Upstream at Chichester Festival Theatre (April to May 2015),[25] and played one of the principal characters—Jill Drummond, a disabled woman who falls for her humanoid caregiver—on the first season of the science fiction drama series Humans, which aired between June and August 2015. Described as a "stylishly slow-burning Sunday night treat" by The Telegraph,[26] Humans was Channel 4's highest-rated drama in two decades, attracting an average of 6m viewers.[27]

Halfpenny made her radio broadcast debut in May 2017, covering slots on BBC Radio 2 for regular presenters such as Liza Tarbuck and Sara Cox,[28][29] and later hosting the station's Good Morning Sunday show throughout August 2018.[30] Her acting projects during this period included the controversial BBC miniseries Three Girls,[31] an examination of the events surrounding the Rochdale child sex abuse ring. Airing over three consecutive nights in May 2017, the drama received a positive reception, with Halfpenny's portrayal of Julie Winshaw—a fictionalised version of one of the parents whose teenage child was exploited—garnering praise.[32]

2018–present: Theatre and television

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In the stage adaptation of the psychological thriller novel The Girl on the Train, Halfpenny headlined as Rachel, a dispirited alcoholic who witnesses a murder but struggles to convince people of what she saw. Premiering at the Leeds Playhouse in May 2018, the production was met with mixed reviews,[33] though critics agreed that Halfpenny was its biggest asset, with The Yorkshire Post commenting that she "steals the show ... Her role requires a nuanced performance that keeps the audience guessing [and] it's one she delivers with great aplomb".[34] The following year, she starred as a conflicted parent who accepts hush money after her 13-year-old son is molested by a Hollywood film producer, in the four-part BBC miniseries Dark Money.[35]

In Channel 5's The Drowning, a mystery thriller that aired over four consecutive nights in February 2021, Halfpenny starred as Jodie Walsh, a grief-stricken mother who comes to believe that her late son may still be alive. In her appraisal of the show for The Guardian, Lucy Mangan said of Halfpenny, "Her presence is always a sign that a programme will be an elevated production. Here, her inability to strike a false or melodramatic note is perfect for the [character]".[36] Next, she played the supporting role of Doreen Hill in The Long Shadow, a seven-part miniseries—based on the crimes of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe—that aired on ITV1 between September and November 2023. Radio Times critic James Hibbs was effusive in his praise of the show's "strong" cast, calling them "real, fully rounded individuals" and adding, "Everyone brings their A-game in wholly different ways, [including] Halfpenny as the grieving mother of one of Sutcliffe's victims".[37] Speaking of the research she undertook in preparation for playing Hill, Halfpenny said it was the lack of aftercare for the victims that shocked her most: "They were just left to deal with such tragic circumstances [and] in such a public arena, with seemingly no support ... It just really shocked me that they were just left alone, and how little power they had ... We talk so much now about support and therapy and what could we give them and how can we help them. [Back then] it was like, 'Oh, well, that's happened'. I thought it was heartbreaking".[38]

Halfpenny's role in the 2024 adaptation of Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey, which debuted at the Royal Exchange, Manchester on 15 March, was met with praise; writing for The Daily Telegraph, critic Mark Brown believed her portrayal of working-class single mother Helen to be "suitably monstrous, but with an intelligent, underlying and brittle fragility".[39] Her next project was Channel 5's The Cuckoo, in which she played the mysterious Sian, a lodger hiding a dark secret from the family she's living with. Emily Watkins of the i newspaper described the miniseries as "well-paced [and] acted", noting that Halfpenny's "flinty gaze" lent her character "a chilling intensity".[40]

Other work

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Halfpenny has narrated commercials for Argos, Children in Need, Ford Fiesta, The Sunday Times, Aunt Bessie's, Cocoa Pops, the Royal Air Force, First Choice, and Caledonian Travel.[41][42]

It was announced in February 2024 that Halfpenny's memoir, A Life Reimagined, would be published by Pan Macmillan. Due for release in June 2024, it touches on the deaths of her father and her ex-partner.[43]

Personal life

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Halfpenny was born in Leam Lane, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear on 15 July 1975.[44]

She married fellow actor Craig Conway in 2007; together they have a son, Harvey. The couple divorced in 2010.[1] In 2019, Halfpenny spoke of her grief following the death of her partner, Matt Janes, two years earlier. He died aged 43 after suffering a heart attack.[45][46]

Halfpenny is an ambassador for Kidscape, a children's charity.[47] She was named "Freeman of the Borough of Gateshead" in 2013, in recognition of her services to theatre, television, and charity.[48]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2000 Command Approved Chopper Pilot
2011 How to Stop Being a Loser Christina
2013 Turn Your Bloody Phone Off: The Second Batch Mummy Short
Segment: "Shush Mummy"
2016 Maisie Louise Short
2017 Ghost Stories Peggy Van Rhys Voice
2018 Walk Like a Panther Lara Anderson
2019 Colourblind Mum Short

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1989–1992 Byker Grove Nicola Dobson Series regular (seasons 1–4)
1997 The Bill Lisa Collett Episode: "Man Trap"
Birds of a Feather Brittany Episode: "Rising Damp"
The Lakes Tina Episode #1.1
1998 The Round Tower Rosie Cotton Television film
Heartbeat Mitzi Wyler Episode: "Local Knowledge"
Touching Evil Annie Jordan Episode: "What Price a Child" Parts 1 & 2
1999 Dangerfield Shelley Episode: "Tying the Knot"
Peak Practice Kelly Recurring (series 8)
1999–2000 Coronation Street Rebecca Hopkins Series regular
2001 Dalziel and Pascoe Tara Connolly Episode: "Home Truths"
2002 Breeze Block Gail Main role
2002–2005 EastEnders Kate Mitchell Series regular
2003 Barbara Kirsty Episode: "Kirsty"
2004 Strictly Come Dancing Contestant Series 2 winner
2005 The Catherine Tate Show Gina Episode: "Dog Obedience"
2006 Shameless Roxy Benson Episode: "Old Flame"
2006–2007 Waterloo Road Izzie Redpath Series regular (seasons 1–2)
2007 Blue Murder Jackie Holroyd Episode: "Crisis Management"
2009 Inspector George Gently Cora Davidson Episode: "Gently with the Innocents"
2011 Mount Pleasant Emma Recurring (series 1)
Walk Like a Panther Lara Anderson Episode #1.1
2012 Murdoch Mysteries Elizabeth Bryant Episode: "Murdoch of the Klondike"
Wild at Heart Fiona Recurring (series 7)
2013 Lightfields Martha Felwood Main role
Vera Maggie Warnock Episode: "Prodigal Son"
2014 Babylon Davina Main role
Beautality Pam St. Clair Television film
2014–2016 In the Club Diane Manning Main role
2015 Humans Jill Drummond Main role (series 1)
2016 Death in Paradise Naomi Walker Episode: "The Blood Red Sea"
Ordinary Lies Belinda Brierly Episode: "Joe"
2017 Three Girls Julie Winshaw Main role
2017–2020 Liar Jennifer Recurring (series 1–2)
2019 Year of the Rabbit Flora Wilson 3 episodes
Dark Money Sam Mensah Main role
2020 Inside No. 9 Jennie Episode: "Misdirection"
2021 The Drowning Jodie Walsh Main role
2022 Jill Halfpenny's Easter Journeys Presenter Documentary miniseries
The Holiday Kate Fitzgerald Main role
Everything I Know About Love Roisin Main role
2023 The Long Shadow Doreen Hill 3 episodes
2024 The Cuckoo Sian Gregson Main role
The Red King Ann Fletcher Episode #1.2
TBA The Feud † Emma Post-production [49]

Voice work

[edit]
Selected voiceover credits
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Freaky Eaters Narrator Series 1
Fat Man's Warning Narrator Documentary
2011 Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 Narrator Documentary
2013 Shoplife Narrator Documentary
Shut-ins: Britain's Fattest People Narrator Documentary
2015 Britain's Horror Homes Narrator Series 1
2017 Shut-ins: Britain's Fattest Woman Narrator Documentary
2017–2018 The Liza Tarbuck Show; The Sara Cox Show; Good Morning Sunday Host Recurring; BBC Radio 2
2018 Stone Jackie Stanton-Hope Main role (series 7); BBC Radio 4
2019 When Plastic Surgery Goes Horribly Wrong Narrator Documentary
2020 Body Horror Caroline Main role; BBC Radio 4
The Estate: Life Up North Narrator Documentary miniseries
2020–2022 Elephant Hospital Narrator Documentary series
2022 The Magpie Narrator Audiobook (author: Marrisse Whittaker)
Vengeance Is Mine Narrator Audiobook (author: Michael Wood)
Trouble at Topshop Narrator Documentary miniseries
Northern Justice Narrator Documentary series
2022–2023 Geordie Hospital Narrator Documentary series
Hotel Benidorm: Sun, Sea & Sangria Narrator Documentary series
2024 A Life Reimagined Narrator Audiobook (author: Jill Halfpenny)[43]

Theatre

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Selected theatre credits
Year Title Role Notes
—
[50] 		The Sound of Music Liesl von Trapp Crucible Theatre
1995 Like a Virgin Angela Hull Truck Theatre
1999 Jumping the Waves —
[51] 		ARC Theatre
2001 Studs Mandy Hull Truck Theatre
Cooking with Elvis Jill National tour
2002 1984 Julia Northern Stage
2005 Chicago Roxie Hart Adelphi Theatre
The Bodies Thérèse Raquin Live Theatre
2005–2006 Cinderella Fairy Godmother Theatre Royal, Newcastle
2006–2007 Jack and the Beanstalk Mother Nature Theatre Royal, Newcastle
2007 Uncle Vanya Sonya Birmingham Rep
2008 Surviving Spike Norma Farnes Theatre Royal, Windsor
2009 Calendar Girls Cora Noël Coward Theatre
2010 Legally Blonde Paulette Bonafonté Savoy Theatre
Jill Halfpenny Celebrates the Great British Songbook[52] Host Wilton's Music Hall
2012 Abigail's Party Julia Menier Chocolate Factory; Wyndham's Theatre
2015 Way Upstream Emma Chichester Festival Theatre
2018 The Girl on the Train Rachel Leeds Playhouse
2019 In a Word Fiona Young Vic
2024 A Taste of Honey Helen Royal Exchange

Accolades

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2004 British Soap Awards Sexiest Female EastEnders Nominated [53]
2007 TV Quick Awards Best Actress Waterloo Road Won [11]
2011 Theatregoers' Choice Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Legally Blonde Won [19]
Laurence Olivier Awards Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical Won [20]

References

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  1. ^ a b Cavendish, Dominic (22 February 2012). "Jill Halfpenny: the life and soul of Abigail's Party". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. ^ Lindsay, Duncan (18 January 2018). "13 of Martin Platt's biggest storylines as Sean Wilson returns to Coronation Street". Metro. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  3. ^ Wilkes, Neil (6 October 2004). "Confirmed: 'EastEnders' actress axed". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing – Jill Halfpenny – BBC One". BBC Online. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  5. ^ Saney, Daniel (13 December 2004). "Jill Halfpenny to star in 'Chicago'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  6. ^ "The Bodies". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  7. ^ Saney, Daniel (13 December 2004). "Jill Halfpenny to star in 'Chicago'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  8. ^ Jill Halfpenny on Catherine Tate
  9. ^ Barr, Gordon (26 January 2006). "Shame on you". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  10. ^ Deans, Jason (2 September 2005). "It's showtime on BBC1". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Corrie & Dr Who win big at TV awards". RTÉ News. 4 September 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  12. ^ "These nine Waterloo Road deaths still have me sobbing into my school jumper". The Tab. 24 December 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  13. ^ Flett, Kathryn (4 May 2007). "Fat Man's Warning: a depressing prognosis". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  14. ^ Hall, Julian (8 February 2008). "Surviving Spike, Theatre Royal, Windsor". The Independent. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. ^ Shenton, Mark (28 July 2009). "West End's Calendar Girls Welcomes Hall, Brown, Dobson and More". Playbill. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Davison & Halfpenny Go Blonde with Final Casting". Whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  17. ^ Benedict, David (13 January 2010). "Legally Blonde". Variety. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  18. ^ Clapp, Susannah (17 January 2010). "Theatre: Legally Blonde". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  19. ^ a b Full List: 2011 Whatsonstage.com Award Winners, whatsonstage.com, 20 February 2011. Archived 4 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ^ a b "Legally Blonde, Into the Woods, Clybourne Park, After the Dance Among Olivier Award Winners in London". Playbill. 13 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  21. ^ "Abigail's Party to transfer to Wyndham's Theatre". BBC Online. 23 April 2012.
  22. ^ "Abigail's Party – review". The Guardian. 11 March 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  23. ^ Pratt, Steve (27 February 2013). "Lightfields (ITV1, 9pm)". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  24. ^ Dalby, Helen (5 September 2014). "29 stunning pictures from the Great North Run Million opening ceremony". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  25. ^ Mountford, Fiona. "Way Upstream theatre review: dark, nasty and surreal at Festival Theatre, Chichester". Evening Standard. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  26. ^ Hogan, Michael (19 July 2015). "Humans, episode six, review: "action-packed"". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Humans becomes Channel 4's biggest drama hit in 20 years". The Guardian. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  28. ^ "BBC – music highlights for Summer 2017 – Media Centre". BBC Online. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  29. ^ "Jill Halfpenny sits in, Sara Cox – BBC Radio 2". BBC Online. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  30. ^ "Good Morning Sunday with Jason Mohammad and Jill Halfpenny". BBC Online. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  31. ^ "BBC drama Three Girls denies pushing 'far-right agenda'". The Week. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  32. ^ Ellen, Barbara (21 May 2018). "The week in TV: Three Girls; Coronation Street; Ivanka Trump: America's Real First Lady; Veep". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  33. ^ "The Girl on the Train: Critics call stage premiere 'a train wreck'". BBC News. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  34. ^ "Review: The Girl on the Train - West Yorkshire Playhouse". The Yorkshire Post. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  35. ^ Pollard, Alexandra (14 July 2019). "Jill Halfpenny: 'As women, we f*** up and do things that we're ashamed of – that's just normal'". The Independent. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  36. ^ Mangan, Lucy (1 February 2021). "The Drowning review: mistaken identity – or a shocking mystery?". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  37. ^ Hibbs, James (25 September 2023). "The Long Shadow review: Hard-hitting series walks a dramatic tightrope". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  38. ^ "Jill Halfpenny on what shocked her most in research for The Long Shadow". Radio Times. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  39. ^ "A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'". The Week. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  40. ^ Watkins, Emily (8 April 2024). "The Cuckoo review: The best weeknight drama on TV". i. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  41. ^ "Go On... Go Caledonian TV Ad 2024". Caledonian Travel. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  42. ^ "Jill Halfpenny". Qvoice. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  43. ^ a b Wood, Heloise (29 February 2024). "Jill Halfpenny's memoir goes to Pan Macmillan". The Bookseller. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  44. ^ "TV on Tyne - Jill Halfpenny". BBC Online. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  45. ^ "How old is Jill Halfpenny and who did she play in EastEnders?". Heart.co.uk. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  46. ^ "The Drowning star Jill Halfpenny opens up on partner's sudden death". 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  47. ^ [1] Archived 24 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  48. ^ "North-East actress Jill Halfpenny presented with Freedom of Borough of Gateshead". The Northern Echo. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  49. ^ Duke, Simon. "Channel 5 drama The Feud takes over Jarrow as Jill Halfpenny and Derry Girls star spotted". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  50. ^ "Jill Halfpenny on why she loves wandering around Leeds". Great British Life. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  51. ^ "1999 Jumping the Waves opened ARC". 23 August 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  52. ^ Shenton, Mark (10 August 2010). "Legally Blonde's Jill Halfpenny to Celebrate the Great British Songbook at London's Wilton's Music Hall". Playbill. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  53. ^ "British Television Soap Awards". thecustard.tv. Archived from the original on 2 February 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
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