How old is Jill Halfpenny and who did she play in EastEnders?

1 February 2021, 19:52

When did Jill Halfpenny star in Coronation Street and does she have children?

With most of us spending more time inside than ever, Channel 5 has got your entertainment sorted with brand new series The Drowning.

And actress Jill Halfpenny is taking on the lead role of mum Jodie, whose son has been missing for eight years.

When she sees teenager Daniel, she becomes convinced he is her missing child.

But how old is Jill Halfpenny and what else has she been in?

How old is Jill Halfpenny?

Jill Halfpenny was born July, 15 1975, which makes her 45-years-old.

She began her acting career at 14-years-old as teenager Kelly in Byker Grove, which was filmed in the Benwell area of Newcastle.

Jill later starred in Coronation Street, EastEnders, Waterloo Road and won the 2004 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Read More: The Drowning cast: Who is in the Channel 5 drama and where have you seen them before?

Who did Jill Halfpenny play in EastEnders and Coronation Street?

Jill took on the role of Kate Mitchell in EastEnders back in 2002.

She was first introduced as a police officer sent to spy on Phil Mitchell, but after her cover was blown she quit the police force and ended up marrying Phil.

Kate left the soap for a new life in Brighton after her affair with Den Watts was exposed in 2005.

Before arriving in Walford, Jill played nurse Rebecca Hopkins in Coronation Street between 1999-2000.

Is Jill Halfpenny married?

In 2007, Jill married fellow actor Craig Conway, with whom she has one son called Harvey, but the couple divorced in 2010.

The actress has also opened up about the tragic death of her partner back in 2017.

Speaking on a podcast in 2019, shared her grief following the death of Matt, who passed away when he suffered a heart attack at the gym.

His death tragically mirrored that of Jill's father Colin, who also died of a heart attack in 1979.

She said: "In January 2017, my partner, in very similar circumstances to my dad, he went to a peloton class at the gym, and he had a heart attack and died.

"My grief at losing Matt, my partner, was so brutal and so shocking but then what happened was it brought out all of the grief from my dad as well. It was like dealing with a double loss – a loss I'd never actually dealt with.

"I just found myself thinking, 'Oh my god, this is unbearable. What am I going to do? I cannot cope. I just want cessation, this feeling to stop."

Now Read: When does The Drowning start on Channel 5 and what is it about?