EastEnders' Kathy Beale's life - true age, 'facelift' and doomed co-star love

30 August 2023 , 17:32

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EastEnders' Kathy Beale's life - true age, 'facelift' and doomed co-star love

Kathy Beale burst onto our screens in the very first episode of EastEnders on February 19, 1985, with actress Gillian Taylforth quickly becoming a favourite with viewers. She left in 1998 but has returned to the show several times, becoming one of the longest-running characters to feature on the soap. She's had a number of dramatic storylines over the years involving rape, teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, divorce, and alcoholism and in 2006 her character faked her own death.

One of the long-running mysteries about the character has been her age, and the BBC recently revealed Kathy is 73 years old. Fans were gobsmacked to learn that Gillian's real age off-screen is 68. People flocked to social media to proclaim that Gillian is "ageless", with one person saying: "Gillian Taylforth does not age. Love Kathy Beale, one of the EastEnders originals", while another wrote: "She's always looked young for her age."

"How is Gillian nearly 68 and looks like that! Has she had work done?" another asked whilst a fourth shared: "Is Gillian Taylforth the same age as her character... She looks amazing either way!" The TV star, who has also featured in Footballers' Wives and The Bill, has been open about aging gracefully over the years but has admitted she's had a few beauty procedures along the way. To mark her 60th birthday, the actress reportedly treated herself to a non-surgical facelift that is thought to have cost £1,500.

She's been on the show since it started (BBC Studios)

The star has been called 'ageless' (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Gillian having had several notable relationships over the years. The romances haven't been without their drama though. During her original days on EastEnders, she dated her co-star Nick Berry for three years. Their relationship caused a stir with Nick playing her on-screen stepson and being eight years her junior. The pair dated from 1985 to 1988 when they decided to call it quits.

Gillian then went on to have a long-term relationship with Geoff Knights and the pair had two children together, a daughter named Jessica and a son named Harrison. The couple were together for 23 years before separating in 2009. The pair had a turbulent relationship that played out in public over the years.

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The actress previously opened up about their split, saying: "It was really tough as you don't just stop having feelings for someone. There was no real catalyst for the split, but things weren't going the way they should. I'd felt like that for about a year and it got to the point where I didn't want us to be constantly rowing.

Gillian and Geoff Knights welcomed two children (REX/Shutterstock)

The actress was previously engaged to Dave Fairbairn (Beretta/Sims/REX/Shutterstock)

"Geoff and I have fiery personalities and often clashed and went through stages of not talking. Sometimes I've been portrayed as this victim, but it's not like that. I'm feisty and I do answer back. Eventually, I plucked up the courage to say to Geoff that I didn't want us to continue in the way we had been. He turned round and said, 'Well I was thinking of moving out, anyway'. We'd started to grow apart, too." Geoff died in November 2013, just three months after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Gillian later had a relationship with former stockbroker Dave Fairbairn, with the pair meeting in 2012. They were together for several years and got engaged, but split in 2017 and then reunited before breaking up for good in 2019 after "a string of disagreements" according to reports at the time and their wedding plans were called off. The pair have remained friends.

And when it comes to family life, Gillian isn't the only famous face in hers, as her sister Kim Taylforth has also had a number of roles on TV - including in a rival soap. Kim has appeared in Hollyoaks, The Bill, and Family Affairs, as well as portraying Marilyn Fenner in ITV's Bad Girls. She's also starred in London's Burning, Operation Good Guys and a number of pantomimes across the UK.

Courtney Pochin