15 March 2023 , 21:55
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Sue Johnston says that although she is turning 80 this year she has no intention of retiring from acting.
The TV star, famed for roles in shows such as Corrie, Brookside and The Royle Family, admits she sometimes feels tired and is getting forgetful, but added she comes alive when she is working.
She said: “I’m 80 this year – it’s so freaky, it’s so weird. It’s very strange.
“You do get tired, but I think, ‘Why am I tired?’... I talk to my friends who are the same age [and] it’s because I’m old.
“It’s a strange time and when I moan about it I have to think about the friends I’ve lost along the way who weren’t allowed to grow old. It’s a privilege.
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Sue Johnston during her early years on Brookside (PA)“I get more tired when I’m bored. When I’m away on a job I’m up and ready.
“There’s something in my head that loves to do the job. It still excites me after all this time.”
Sue says one of the great things about growing older is she feels more able to speak her mind.
She told the Chatabix podcast: “I do say what I think to people now.
“I don’t hold back. I do feel at ease with life. I do worry about stuff, but everybody does, whatever age.”
Sue with Caroline Aherne in The Royle Family (BBC)Sue’s first major role was playing Sheila Grant in Channel 4 soap Brookside starting in 1982. Since the show became available to stream, she has watched it and reckons the best thing is seeing herself with no wrinkles.
She said: “All I could do was keep zooming in on my face because I didn’t have any lines. I started at 38 and was described in the press as a middle-aged sex bomb.”
One of her next big roles was on BBC sitcom The Royle Family alongside Ricky Tomlinson, Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash.
Sue, who turns 80 in December, has also graced Downton Abbey, Waking the Dead and Little Dorrit.