Brookside icon Jennifer Ellison recently made a comeback in popular ITV sitcom G'wed, but the actor has shared that she was "so close" to quitting the industry prior to landing her new role.
The part is Ellison'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 "tough industry".
"I stepped away for a bit to raise my children, I was being offered roles that would’ve taken me away from them when they were babies and I didn’t want that," she told The Mirror, before outlining some of the difficulties she faced within the industry.
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"It’s a tough industry. I’ve done a few auditions in the last few years, and every time I’ve got down to the last two, at the last minute it’s gone the other way," she stated. "It got to the point where I thought: 'This just isn’t for me anymore.'"
Ellison, who appeared on Brookside for five years before its conclusion in 2003, added: "I was so close to calling it a day. I just didn’t know if I could put myself through it anymore. It’s such a hard business."
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Luckily, the actor recently landed a part in the third season of G'wed, a comedy series focusing on the lives of various Liverpudlian teenagers. The popular sitcom tackles themes such as grief, sex, diversity and class differences.
Ellison plays Anna, the estranged mother of Aimee Morris (Amber Harrison), with the actor saying of her new role: "I gave it one last shot. And it worked out! I’ve got some really good dramatic scenes to get my teeth into."
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The actor, who has also appeared in The Phantom of the Opera, declared that she would be open to more TV roles, teasing: "I would love to do more TV, really gritty drama and stuff like that. Watch this space."
In terms of Brookside, the beloved soap (somewhat) returned in October with a special crossover episode with fellow Channel 4 series Hollyoaks. Plenty of stars, including Paul Usher and Sue Johnston, reprised their respective roles.
G'wed airs on ITV2 and streams on ITVX.
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