THEGOODFIGHT
‘WEWANTTOBRINGABIT
OFJOYNOTDEPRESSYOU’
STANDUPTOCANCERHOSTDAVINAMcCALLLOSTBOTH
HERMUMANDSISTERTOTHEDISEASEHERESHETELLS
OK!HOWSHEHANDLESHERPAINONFUNDRAISINGNIGHT
D
avina McCall will be all smiles on Friday as
she hosts the Stand Up To Cancer charity
night on Channel 4 – but she admits the
evening will take an emotional toll because
the disease claimed her own mum and her sister.
And the 53-year-old presenter says SU2C is
important to her not only because it funds research
into treatments but as a reminder to people of the
warning symptoms. Her beloved sister Caroline died
just seven weeks after her diagnosis in 2012, aged 50.
Here, Davina tells of the sense of “positivity and
hope” on the SU2C set and joining Alan Carr, Maya
Jama and Adam Hills to introduce TV treats from the
likes of Olympic legend Usain Bolt and The Crown’s
Olivia Colman, plus a celeb Gogglebox special.
Hi, Davina. Why is SU2C so important to you?
I think the really big thing for me is that one in two of
us will get cancer. There are
so many amazing inroads
being made, but obviously
the research needs to continue.
We are at the tip of the most
amazing scientific iceberg.
My mum died of cancer, my
sister died of cancer, so I know
how cancer affects people,
and I know that because of the
pandemic, thousands of people
have been left waiting for cancer
tests and treatments, creating
a worrying backlog. So this year,
more than ever, we just need to fund as much
research as we can, to give as many people as
good a chance as possible.
Sarah Harding’s death last month, aged 39, was
a reminder cancer can strike at any age, wasn’t it?
I think the saddest thing is the last time I’d seen
Sarah Harding was on The Jump, where she was
a contestant. And, oh my God, such good fun! But
I read somewhere that she’d given herself a hard
time for not going to sort it out earlier. That, for me,
is always the hardest thing. My sister was given
a terminal diagnosis in hospital and gave herself
a hard time for not doing something about it. There’s
nothing like the look on someone’s face when they
realise that what they’re being told is that there’s
no treatment. This is palliative care from now on.
And the idea that you would ever blame yourself
for that is too much to handle. So we need to help
people to find ways of detecting changes in their
bodies but never shaming anybody – ever, ever, ever
– and least of all shaming yourself, ever, if you get
sick. It’s not your fault.
36
Is it important to bring a bit of joy to people
after a tough 18 months?
Yes! It’s odd, isn’t it, to think that a show called Stand
Up To Cancer would bring a bit of joy, but actually
what we don’t want to do is make people depressed.
Because there is a lot of good that can come out of
SU2C. It’s about positivity and hope, forging forward
to make people’s lives better, and supporting people
through what I think is a very tough and scary journey.
What have been your favourite moments from
SU2C in the past?
Apart from fondling an enormous pair of balls – which
I hasten to add weren’t real – I love The Last Leg. It’s
always so funny.
Is it hard to control your emotions on the night?
g t veryy passionate
ge
I get passionate about it. My sister died in 2012,
which feels like a long time ago.
It’ll be 10 years next year. But it
still makes me think “What if,
what if?” So when people tell
their stories, I can relate to it,
and it’s always a bit tough on
the night. But I just think “Don’t
lose the plot. You’re not here to
get all emotional. You’re here
because you’re invested, you’ve
Davina with lost people you care about, and
sister Caroline you are here to help raise as
much money as you can.” I try to
see all the stories beforehand,
talk to the people if they’re there, so there are no
surprises. I can take a moment before I’m on camera.
How will you prepare for the show?
On the day, I’ll try to get myself into a space where
I really think about the gravity of the night ahead,
how important it is, and how my actions, or the way
I work that night, might have a direct impact on how
much money can be raised. So I’ll think about how
best I can do my job to help as many people as I can.
So how will you wind down at the end of it?
It’s the night before my birthday, so I’ll be winding up
again! Hopefully with breakfast in bed from my kids.
Does that mean burnt toast and cold tea?
It used to mean raw crumpets and things like that, but
thankfully my kids are old enough now that they know
how to make breakfast! OK!
TO DONATE, GO TO DONATE.CANCERRESEARCHUK.ORG/STAND-UP-TO-
CANCER/YOUR-DONATION
WORDS: JENNIFER RODGER PHOTO: STAND UP TO CANCER/C4
 THELAUGHOFBRIAN

‘MYBIGGESTCAREER
ACHIEVEMENTIS
THATI’VEMANAGEDTO
SURVIVEFORYEARS’
COMICANDEASTENDERS
STARBRIANCONLEY
EXCLUSIVELYOPENS
THEDOORSTOHIS
BUCKINGHAMSHIREHOME
ANDTALKSABOUTJOINING
ALBERTSQUAREHISLONG
CAREERANDTHESECRET
TOHISHAPPYMARRIAGE

T
here isn’t much actor and comedian Brian
Conley hasn’t turned his hand to during a
career spanning almost 50 years. From
stand-up, panto and landing his own TV
show to a stint on Strictly Come Dancing and his
eight Royal Variety Performance appearances,
the 60-year-old has done it all.
Then, during a lockdown-imposed hiatus,
EastEnders came knocking and Brian joined the
BBC One soap’s cast this year as Sonia Fowler’s
long-lost father Terry Cant – who viewers have
now discovered is a conman.
And as we join Brian at his six-bedroom home
in Buckinghamshire, the star tells us how lucky
he feels to be a part of such an iconic show.
“On my first day I just walked around saying,
‘Oh my God, I’m in The Vic! Oh my God, I’m in
the Square!’” he laughs.
Brian shares his beautiful home, which has a
pool room and tennis court, with wife of 25 years
Anne-Marie, 54, who is an artist, their daughter
Lucy, 19, and their dog, Ruby. Their other
daughter Amy, 24, lives in London. “The last
time OK! came round to this house Amy was
about six weeks old!” adds Brian.
Here, he opens up about Lucy following in
his footsteps and putting his money on co-star
Rose Ayling-Ellis to win Strictly…

Hi, Brian! How are you enjoying EastEnders?

I’m loving it and I appreciate how lucky I am to
be a part of such an iconic show. My father had
bowel cancer and he had about six months

46
from when he was diagnosed until he passed
away, and he really got into EastEnders, so I
feel like he’s up there pulling the puppet strings
and he’s one of the reasons I’m there. Everyone
said on their first day they were in awe of
everything, just like me. Then you spend time
in The Vic and realise it’s not real and there’s
non-alcoholic beer in the pumps. They couldn’t
have us drinking on set, the show would really
go to pot then! But it does really feel like being
in the East End. Anne-Marie says when I come
home I really sound like a Cockney. I say, “You
alright sweetheart, you alright babe? Give us
a cup of Rosie!”
Who are you closest to
from the cast? As Terry in
I’ve obviously been working EastEnders
with Natalie Cassidy [who
plays Sonia] a lot and Gillian
Taylforth [who plays Kathy
Beale]. They really are soap
royalty and they both helped
me in those early days, and
helped me relax into it. It was
sad to read in the script that
I’m not actually Natalie’s dad,
because I love working with
her. I was like, “Oh, but I like
being Natalie’s dad!” But it
can’t all be rosy.
Your co-star Rose Ayling-Ellis is doing so well on
Strictly. Did you give her any advice?
I told her she will live, breathe and eat it, and just
to enjoy every minute. It’s the most incredible
experience. My money is on Rose and I’ve actually
put a bet on her to win. Not a lot of money but I
would love for her to win! She is amazing on so
many levels. For EastEnders and Strictly to represent
the deaf community to such a massive audience is
just fantastic and as it should be. She’s loving it and
it’s nice she’s been given the time off to properly
focus on it.
Are you still in touch with your former pro
dance partner from
2017, Amy Dowden?
Yes, we message now and
again. It’s a shame she and
Tom [Fletcher] had to miss a
week but she’s in a good
place. She’s such a lovely girl.
When we danced together
she used to give me little
treats to get me to rehearse
for longer. She’d say, “If we
do it one more time, we can
have a cup of tea and some
chocolate.” I left that show
the fittest I’ve ever been in
my life. I didn’t have an
ounce of fat on me and I
WWW.OK.CO.UK 49

‘IT’STERRIFYINGBEING
ONHIGH-DEFINITION
TVWHENYOU’RE’
KARRENBRADYONFILMINGTHELATESTSERIESOFBBCONEHIT
THEAPPRENTICEANDSTEERINGCLEAROFCOSMETICSURGERY
B
aroness Karren Brady CBE wears many
hats. As well as being an aide to Lord
Alan Sugar on The Apprentice, she’s
the vice-chair of West Ham United
and a Tory peer in the House of Lords.
That’s not to mention her role as wife and
mum – she’s married to former football
player and manager Paul Peschisolido, 50,
and they share Sophia, 25, and Paolo, 23.
Karren, 52, has just finished filming the
latest series of The Apprentice, which is
returning to BBC One after a two-year
hiatus due to the pandemic. Revealing it
will air “early next year”, Karren tells us,
“I love doing The Apprentice. I get asked
to do other shows but that’s not for me.”
Here, she fills us in on the new series,
being proud of her daughter’s modelling
career and why plastic surgery isn’t for her…
Hi, Karren. How has filming gone?
I love doing it. I love spending time with Alan
and the team. We have such a wonderful
group of people that work on the show. And
that was our 16th series! It’s still a show people
want to watch and changes people’s lives.
Is there a blooper reel we haven’t seen yet?
We don’t have one. There’s no script and there
are no retakes, so they really just film what
happens. And most of the bloopers make it
into the episode. This year, Tim Campbell,
who was the winner of the first series, stepped
in for Claude [Littner], as Claude had a terrible
accident on his bike, but he’s recovering. I love
doing The Apprentice. Obviously, I get asked
to do other shows but that’s not for me.
How do you cope with juggling family life
and your career?
Well, my kids are now 25 and
23. They don’t live at home.
They’ve got their own lives
and their own careers, so that
certainly makes it easier.
Was it tough when facing
empty nest syndrome?
Not really because my kids
Being made
both live very locally, so I
a CBE with
speak to them every day and
hubby Paul
I must see them three or four
times a week. We’re very
64
STILLTHEBUSINESS
With co-stars
Lord Sugar
and Claude
close as a family. So even though they’re not
here, they’re here for dinner almost every
night or popping in at some point in the day.
Your daughter Sophia has been doing so
well in her own career. Are you giving her
business advice, or does she not need it?
She doesn’t need any! I feel a great sense of
pride in what she does. I was walking down
demic and
Oxford Street during the pandemic
she’s the face of Boux Avenue and
there was a massive poster of her
in the window. So I was taking
lots of photos and sending
them to my parents and her
grandparents. She’s doing
really well. She’s happy. I
think that’s the one thing we
all want, our kids to be happy.
Absolutely. What advice do Karren with
you give her daughter
rting
women starting Sophia
a business?
You’ll never really know
how good you are at
something until you try.
And very often, the only
thing that holds you back is
yourself, this feeling that
you can’t do it. I always say
to people that you don’t
want to get to 52, which is
my age, and look back on
your life and say, “Oh, I wish
I would have”, because we always regret
the things we don’t do.
Your Women in Business & Tech Expo is
on this month. Tell us about that…
I’m looking forward to speaking on 13
and 14 October. There’s me and 60 other
inspirational women speakers, including
Mel B and Caprice Bourret. The Expo
really is the only one dedicated to
supporting women in business, and
particularly women in tech.
What do you enjoy doing in your
spare time?
I’m not into fitness, although I do love to
walk and I started cycling to the House of
Lords. I bought a bike over lockdown. I do
what I call progression fitness – if it’s getting
me somewhere, I’ll do it. So I don’t mind
walking somewhere or cycling, just going on
a treadmill to go nowhere has no appeal.
What are your go-to beauty treatments?
Look, it’s terrifying being 52 and seeing
yourself on TV in high definition on a big
screen. I love these things called HydraFacials.
I am sort of terrified of anything a bit
more rurugged than that, but I don’t
mind the odd facial.
So you’re not heading for
tthe plastic surgeon?
NNo! The thing about plastic
ssurgery is the one thing you
wwant, which is the one thing
yyou can’t get, is a predictable
re
result. You don’t know what
it’
it’s going to look like until it’s
don
done. And you can’t reverse it.
What do you think is the biggest
misconcepti about you?
misconception
I don’t know. I think I come across as very
miserable on The Apprentice and I’m not
a very miserable person… Maybe that’s
the misconception! OK!
BARONESS BRADY CBE WILL BE SPEAKING AT KARREN BRADY’S
WOMEN IN BUSINESS & TECH EXPO VIRTUAL ON 13-14 OCTOBER.
GENERAL TICKETS (£20) AND VIP TICKETS (£60) FOR THE VIRTUAL
EVENT CAN BE PURCHASED AT WIBEXPO.CO.UK
WORDS: ROZ LEWIS PHOTOS: GETTY
 DEADEND?

‘LEANNEIS
FIGHTING
FORHER
LIFE’
JANEDANSONTELLSUSHOW
HERCORRIECHARACTERISJUSTONE
OFMANYWHOAREFACINGDEATHIN
ATHRILLINGWEEKINSOAPLAND

I
t’s that time of year again! The soaps are The character of Harvey is
beginning to gear up for Christmas, and terrifying in these scenes.
they’re packing in the action with Super Were there ever times when
Soap Week. This is when the drama really you were actually a bit scared
kicks off in Weatherfield. of Will Mellor as Harvey?
Next week’s episodes will see residents In the moment, yes, absolutely.
become trapped after falling into the Platts’ That’s when you really believe
sinkhole, while Abi and killerr Corey have someone as a an actor. There
one final confrontation. are partic
particular lines that he
Meanwhile, Harvey escapes pes m
ma
madede really dark just
from prison, causing a car bec
because of the way he
crash that puts Dev’s son to
touched me and that
Aadi in hospital. The villain to
took me by surprise
then tracks down Leanne a bit. You feed
to take his revenge. ooff each other
Here, Jane Danson, who bbecause that
plays Leanne, shares more… rreaction is really
re
real. It was really
Hi Jane! As we move into Harvey won’t ex
exciting to film.
this week, as far as Leanne e back down
is aware Harvey’s locked up... Leann
Leanne’s life
Yes. Her experience with Harveyarvey is in jeop
jeopardy
was a nightmare, but he’s in prison now, here, but do you
so all that is done and dusted and they’re think he should be
starting to come back to life a bit. slightly worried if
the Battersby in
Is the first she sees of Harvey when she her comes out?
comes face to face with him? She’s got the nice Did the set design really
She’s in the Bistro and there’s a power cut. flat now, the nicer add to the drama?
She hears Harvey’s voice, then she turns clothes, she lives at There’s a lot going on in the
round and there he is… the posher end of scenes, and I think the weather
the street… But element will play a huge part
How scared is she in that moment? that yappy, scrappy, in the story. It was exciting in
Harvey is a really frightening character feisty Battersby is terms of special effects. It felt
who’s involved in this awful world and she’s still in there. He will Leanne’s in like we were filming a movie.
fearful for her life. She knows that he means always overpower big trouble
business and he’s not going to mess about. her physically, You have filmed a lot of
It’s pre-watershed, but within the realms of but Leanne stunts in Coronation Street.
that it’s as serious as it gets and we certainly will definitely give as good as she gets. How does this one rank among the big
played it as her fighting for her life. weeks of the past?
You’re dressed as Morticia during these We’ve had loads of things over the years –
He makes it clear he’s come back to kill episodes for the street’s House Of Horrors fires, boat accidents, car crashes, a tram
her. But is it his aim to torture her and event. How was your costume? crash, explosions… This is different because
play with her mind first? It was horrific – I look like Ozzy Osbourne. this is a chain of events where one thing leads
She’s like a little plaything for him, but she Black is not my colour! Then I was in the rain, to another. I can’t wait to watch it. OK!
knows that. She knows that at times she with make-up pouring down my face. It was CORONATION STREET IS ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY
has to play along with it, and there are not the most glamorous of looks. Morticia ON ITV, TIMES VARY
moments where that inner Battersby is is quite glamorous, but I certainly was not.
WORDS: JENNIFER RODGER
still there and she tries to outsmart him. Hopefully it will add to the scariness of it all!

66
 MUSIC FILM
HITSLIVE
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The radio station has signed up
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WWW.OK.CO.UK 67
 THEPARTY’SBACKON

GIVINGITSOMEATTITUDE
THECELEBRITIESWEREOUTINFORCE
FORTHEMAGAZINE’SANNUALAWARDS

D
enise Van Outen and Frankie Sport Award to Olympic diver Tom
Bridge turned up the heat as Daley, 27, who won a gold and bronze
they joined a host of stars to in Tokyo. Alan wrote on Instagram,
bring the glitz and glamour “You are SO amazing!!! Well done!”
back to the Attitude Awards last week. Other winners included singer
Denise, 47, was looking white-hot Elaine Paige, 73, who bagged the
in a sharp suit while lady in red Honorary Gay gong, while Russell T
Frankie, 32, sizzled in figure-hugging Davies, 58, the creator of Channel 4
PVC at The Roundhouse in north-west hit It’s A Sin, picked up the Inspiration
London on Wednesday. Award for the show.
The event – which raises cash for Comedian Tom Allen, 38, was the
the Attitude Magazine Foundation to host on the night and he told OK!,
support LGBTQ+ causes – was back in “Tonight is especially brilliant because
full swing after the pandemic forced it
to stage a virtual ceremony last year.
Other stand-outs on the red carpet
included Pussycat Dolls singer Ashley
Roberts, 40, who dazzled in a sparkly
silver number, and Myleene Klass, 43,
who set a gold standard on tailoring.
Also among the crowd were Emma
Willis, 45, Louise Redknapp, 46, Laura
Whitmore, 36, and Scarlett Moffatt,
30. And Rylan Clark made a rare
appearance following his split from
husband Dan. The TV presenter, 32,
appeared to be in high spirits as he
smiled for photos alongside his
X Factor pal Lucy Spraggan, 30.
Meanwhile, Alan Carr looked
dapper in a black suit and bow tie.
The 45-year-old comic presented the

Frankie Rylan with Myleene

impressed his X Factor looked
in red pal Lucy golden

68