Celebrity Interview - Claire King - Comments
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Claire King
Poster: 01/05/2007
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It was with some excitement that I received the call from radio and television producer Dave Jackson inviting me to meet soap star legend Claire King. I am somewhat ashamed to say I am a wee bit of a soap addict, and have always been a fan of this great actress. Was she really as scary in real life? I couldn’t wait to find out.
On meeting Claire in Mijas Pueblo I have to admit I was completely disarmed. She was without a doubt one of the most charming actresses I have ever met, with a cracking sense of humour to match.
So how exactly did she become one of the most famous and talked about household names? Where did it all start? I also wondered if, when she was a young girl, Claire ever imagined, in her wildest dreams, that she would become such a famous actress… “No not at all. I never thought I would go into acting, even though my father had acted in the first ever production of John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger. I was more into my music.”
So how did your acting career begin? “Well, the music thing wasn’t happening, so I moved down to London with my boyfriend, who was at the time in a band called Zodiac Mind Warp and The Love Reaction. I did a promo video for them. Ade Edmondson was directing it. He then got me a role on The Comic Strip. I thought this is alright. Money for old rope. I decided to go to drama school and learn a bit more about it.
I then moved onto fringe plays, and Theatre in Education, known as TIE. I secured an agent, who put me up for a part in Emmerdale. The rest is history.” Did you ever feel typecast playing the tough, ball-breaking female character in Emmerdale?
“I guess other people think I am more typecast than I do because I played Kim Tate; in Down To Earth I played a tough businesswoman and also Karen Betts in Bad Girls. She was firm but fair. If I am typecast then I think I always will be, as I am never going to be the mousy down-trodden woman at home; I would rather not play those parts anyway.”
Was it rather difficult having your then husband Peter Amory playing alongside you as your step son?
“It wasn’t, because we actually met on the set of Emmerdale. It was quite nice at first. I so liked working with him. Even though we have split up, we are still really good friends.”
What made you decide to leave Emmerdale?
“I had done nine years on the programme and just wanted to move on. I probably should not have stayed that long. I think I had taken the character as far as she could go. For heaven’s sake, she even died and came back. There is not much you can do after that!”
Your next role was on the prison soap Bad Girls. Do you think it was a true portrayal of women’s prisons?
“Are you having a laugh? When it started out I think it was quite hard-hitting, tough and realistic. We all did a vast amount of research and visited women’s prisons. However, then in the third series it began to get a bit silly, like Footballers’ Wives. I mean, there were even androgynous babies being born.”
Are you actually a soap fan?
“Yes. I would never slate any of the soaps because obviously I have been in Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and E4’s In the City. Coronation Street has been really good recently. I do watch the soaps if I am in. I keep up with them because I have got a lot of mates who over the years have had roles in them.”
You recently starred in Safari School…
“Blair McDonough and I became great friends with the rangers, and the rest of the team got into a little bit of a hump with us because they thought we were getting extra tuition or whatever!”
Were there any scary moments?
“For some people they may have been scary, but because I am rather ‘gung ho’ and live in the country, and led the lifestyle, I did not find it too frightening. However, one day when we had four or five tyres go in one day, where I changed each and every one, it was ‘teacher’s pet’ – yeah right! There were elephants all around us. Everyone thinks they are cute. They’re not. They are dangerous creatures. You just have to stay calm and be aware of what is around you. There was another time when we were walking with lions. We were in such close proximity and one of the females of the pride walked up and stared. We were told, “Don’t run’. It’s moments like that; your heart beats a little bit faster. It was generally such good fun.”
You obviously have a great love of animals, as you ride and used to race horses…
“I am from a racing family. I have two horses in training out here. One of them has recently raced in Madrid. I also have two in training with Declan Carroll in York and one with Dandy Nicholls in Thirsk. Five all together. They are my public school children. I used to ride as an amateur jockey. Only on flat. I am not completely stupid. That’s my main passion really, if I could make money out of it!”
Where do your family come from?
“My parents are both from Yorkshire. My mother’s side is Scottish and my father’s side Irish. My grandfather traced the family tree back to horse thieves, so we kind of stop there.”
What about your upbringing?
“I went to Harrogate Ladies College, pony club camp and all that sort of thing. My public school I didn’t particularly enjoy. That’s probably why I dyed my hair pink, and ran off with a rock band. I can be quite rebellious.”
Being such a country girl, do you ever shoot?
“Yes, normally for charity. Friends of mine, Sir Thomas and Lady Inglby, organise these. One year I was on Sir Thomas’s team. There were about 30 of us, and the idea is always to come 12th as in ‘the glorious 12th’, not to win it. So I said I will be the one who will put us in the position, so fire as best you can. By pure fluke I got two clays with one shot and unbelievably we came in 12th. Everyone was yelling ‘Fix, fix’. It was not; I put it down to the copious amounts of champagne we were drinking before 11 o’clock!”
Claire not only supports other charities, but has one that is particularly close to her heart…
“I have a charity out in Namibia called Africat. They rescue all the small animals and cubs whose mothers have been killed, and when they are able enough release them back into the wild.”
Claire spends much of her time travelling but also ensures she finds time to visit her holiday home in the idyllic Costa del Sol setting of Alhaurín. What is it that brings her here so often?
“It has to be the weather, as well as an easier way of life and certainly a lot cheaper. In Spain you are out of the rat-race. Everyone is very easy-going and has more time for each other.”
Since that ghastly programme on ITV, Marbella Belles, Claire has come up with an idea to replace it…
“Loose Women on the Costa. I think it would be quite nuts really; enormous fun. It would express the true opinions of people living down here and be more like a chat show. I have been on Loose Women in the UK quite a bit and friends of mine on the Coast think it is a great idea. We were initially going to call it ‘Four Non-Blondes’.” What has been the most difficult moment in your acting career? “I think originally leaving Emmerdale, because Kim was such a successful character and also it gave me regular money. It was rather daunting going out into the big bad world again, away from that comfort zone. However, I was lucky enough to get the job on Bad Girls more or less straight away. That’s the nature of the business. I just take it as it comes. Whatever is thrust at me I will have a go. I have since done a lot of modelling and I am in my forties. I think, so what about size zero? Get back the women with boobs and curves!”
Who have you modelled for?
“Mainly for Debenhams and various women’s magazines. I have even done lingerie and swim-suit shoots at my age! I think with Desperate Housewives coming along and Sex in the City with all older women, it shows that they still have a lot of power in the business, even with the old botox!”
Do you think you are a bad girl at heart?
“I am not a bad girl. I am just misunderstood.” Anyway, down to the nitty gritty… I gather in the past that you have been out with various colourful characters including Bob Geldof. What was he really like? “We saw each other about 18 years ago. He was very articulate, intelligent, well-read, strong and powerful. It also helped that I loved the music of the Boomtown Rats at the time.”
You also had relationships with Vinnie Jones and Frankie Dettori…
“Yes, I did go out with Vinnie for a short time, but spent two years with Frankie. We are still mates, and obviously see each other through horse-racing.”
Are you seeing anyone at the moment?
“Nobody. I am old, free and single.”
Have you had any children?
“No, I haven’t. I have dogs and horses. The latter are my five public school children. It kind of passed me by and at my age I thought, ‘No, I don’t know about that!’
” What would be your perfect night out and who would be your ideal date?
“A quiet romantic restaurant by the sea with George Clooney. I know it’s boring.”
Back to the present… You recently you appeared in Strictly Come Dancing with Brendon Cole. I gather there were some tensions during the series…
“There was a little bit between us both. I think it was because we are both very strong characters. I think that was the intention when they put us together. He had given a lot of gip to a couple of the celebrity dancers before so the producers thought, ‘We need someone tough to knock him down’, which he really didn’t like.”
Did you enjoy it?
“It was really, really hard work, good fun but rather nerve-wracking. I don’t regret doing it at all because I learnt a new skill.”
She also played opposite Tom Conti in Donovan. Is he as gorgeous as on screen?
“He is lovely. I just clicked with him straight away. I know many people have said he can be quite difficult but from the word go we got on so well together. He was absolutely charming and such a good actor. Utter heaven.”
What have been some of the lighter moments in your career?
“Great times on Emmerdale when Fraser Heinz was in it as well. We got paid to horse-ride. I remember one scene when we had to meet up, have a chat and gallop away on this horse. The boom was right in front of us and, as I left, the horse suffered from rather severe flatulence as I was shouting back, ‘It’s not me.’ The crew on the deck said, ‘Yeah right.’ Also, another fun time while performing in Bad Girls was our regular Friday lunchtime sessions. Now, bearing in mind we did not finish filming until seven o’clock in the evening, we would nip to Tesco’s and buy food; wine would always fall into the basket as well. So in the afternoon it was chaos. Everyone was giggling and not making an awful lot of sense. When I look back, I knew precisely which scenes they were.”
Would you like to star in a major theatre production?
“Funnily enough I am actually just about to do The Vagina Monologues. We are actually now allowed to say that word and not be afraid of it! I was asked to star in Chicago but I have got so much on at the moment.”
What else have you got lined up this year?
“As well as acting, I am hopefully going to be writing a column for a magazine. As soon as I get back I have a few photo shoots to do; also I am just looking at a couple of scripts for TV series. Hopefully they will come off. If not I will look at doing some theatre. There is so much in the pipeline, but it would be nice to get another TV show.”
Are you planning on appearing in any more rock bands?
“No, not me personally, although one of the programmes is based around that. You never know… my pink hair might be back.”
Pink hair or no pink hair, with Claire’s résumé now fluctuating between journalism, acting, modelling, and dancing, I feel sure that with her remarkable talents, bubbling personality and infectious enthusiasm, together with her sheer beauty within and without, Claire will continue to flourish on every path she chooses to take. Who knows, next step Hollywood?
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