{"id":676713,"date":"2026-07-06T13:17:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/676713\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T13:17:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T13:17:11","slug":"brookside-icon-reveals-she-was-so-close-to-quitting-industry-before-landing-comeback-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/676713\/","title":{"rendered":"Brookside icon reveals she was &#8220;so close&#8221; to quitting industry before landing comeback role"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"3\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/brookside\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/brookside\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Brookside\" data-node-id=\"3.0.0\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Brookside<\/a> icon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/brookside\/a44406882\/brookside-jennifer-ellison-greatest-days-theatre-musical\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/brookside\/a44406882\/brookside-jennifer-ellison-greatest-days-theatre-musical\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Jennifer Ellison\" data-node-id=\"3.2\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jennifer Ellison<\/a> recently made a comeback in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71386229\/gwed-itv-season-3-first-look\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71386229\/gwed-itv-season-3-first-look\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"popular ITV sitcom G&#039;wed\" data-node-id=\"3.4\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">popular ITV sitcom G&#8217;wed<\/a>, but the actor has shared that she was &#8220;so close&#8221; to quitting the industry prior to landing her new role. <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"9\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The part is Ellison&#8217;s first screen job in a decade, partly due to some time away after raising her children with husband Robbie Tickle. The star, who played Emily Shadwick on the Channel 4 soap, also said the hiatus was born out of a &#8220;tough industry&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"13\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;I stepped away for a bit to raise my children, I was being offered roles that would\u2019ve taken me away from them when they were babies and I didn\u2019t want that,&#8221; she told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/jennifer-ellison-small-screen-comeback-37335476\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/jennifer-ellison-small-screen-comeback-37335476\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"The Mirror\" data-node-id=\"13.1.0\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\">The Mirror<\/a>, before outlining some of the difficulties she faced within the industry.<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"jennifer ellison, gwed\" title=\"jennifer ellison, gwed\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3600\" height=\"2400\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dc2ecef6-8f56-4522-be26-715a639838bf.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ITV<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"18\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tech\/best-tech-deals\/g35899960\/best-streaming-services\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV\" data-node-id=\"18.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"22\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">&#8220;It\u2019s a tough industry. I\u2019ve done a few auditions in the last few years, and every time I\u2019ve got down to the last two, at the last minute it\u2019s gone the other way,&#8221; she stated. &#8220;It got to the point where I thought: &#8216;This just isn\u2019t for me anymore.'&#8221; <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"26\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Ellison, who appeared on Brookside for five years before its conclusion in 2003, added: &#8220;I was so close to calling it a day. I just didn\u2019t know if I could put myself through it anymore. It\u2019s such a hard business.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"31\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Luckily, the actor recently landed a part in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71560980\/gwed-stars-storylines-out-comfort-zones\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a71560980\/gwed-stars-storylines-out-comfort-zones\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"the third season of G&#039;wed\" data-node-id=\"31.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">the third season of G&#8217;wed<\/a>, a comedy series focusing on the lives of various Liverpudlian teenagers. The popular sitcom tackles themes such as grief, sex, diversity and class differences.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"35\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Ellison plays Anna, the estranged mother of Aimee Morris (Amber Harrison), with the actor saying of her new role: &#8220;I gave it one last shot. And it worked out! I\u2019ve got some really good dramatic scenes to get my teeth into.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img draggable=\"true\" alt=\"jennifer ellison, gwed\" title=\"jennifer ellison, gwed\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"3600\" height=\"2400\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;width:100%;height:auto;\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fd3dc69f-77b2-449f-96fb-d7b30d007da5.jpg\" class=\"css-0 e1g79fud0\"\/><\/p>\n<p>ITV<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"40\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/a35275532\/brookside-oral-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/a35275532\/brookside-oral-history\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"An oral history of Brookside: looking back at Britain&#039;s most groundbreaking soap\" data-node-id=\"40.0.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">An oral history of Brookside: looking back at Britain&#8217;s most groundbreaking soap<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"44\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The actor, who has also appeared in The Phantom of the Opera, declared that she would be open to more TV roles, teasing: &#8220;I would love to do more TV, really gritty drama and stuff like that. Watch this space.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"48\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">In terms of Brookside, the beloved soap (somewhat) returned in October with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/a69136686\/hollyoaks-reversal-brookside-ending-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/a69136686\/hollyoaks-reversal-brookside-ending-explained\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"a special crossover episode\" data-node-id=\"48.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">a special crossover episode<\/a> with fellow Channel 4 series <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Hollyoaks\" data-node-id=\"48.5.0\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hollyoaks<\/a>. Plenty of stars, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/a65949558\/hollyoaks-brookside-fourth-fifth-returnees\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/soaps\/hollyoaks\/a65949558\/hollyoaks-brookside-fourth-fifth-returnees\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"including Paul Usher and Sue Johnston, reprised their respective roles\" data-node-id=\"48.7\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">including Paul Usher and Sue Johnston, reprised their respective roles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"52\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">G&#8217;wed airs on ITV2 and streams on ITVX.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"57\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">Visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.digitalspy.com\/tv\/a70049607\/streaming-guide\/\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Streaming Guide\" data-node-id=\"57.1\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n<p data-journey-content=\"true\" data-node-id=\"61\" class=\"css-1ncddsh emevuu60\">The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-outbound-link=\"https:\/\/www.hearstmagazines.co.uk\/livinglegendsbts\" data-vars-ga-ux-element=\"Hyperlink\" data-vars-ga-call-to-action=\"Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online\" data-node-id=\"61.3\" class=\"body-link css-1gyyefe emevuu60\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brookside icon Jennifer Ellison recently made a comeback in popular ITV sitcom G&#8217;wed, but the actor has shared&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":676714,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,147950,379,226087,381,96,190731,1156,226086,223205,226088,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-676713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-ad56bb2a-8bb4-421c-a0cc-6d808c059c29","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-brookside-icon-reveals-she-was-close-to-quitting-industry","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-brookside","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676713"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676713\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}