Actress Gaynor Faye played Judy Mallett in Coronation Street in the 1990s and was a firm fan-favourite
Despite appearing in Coronation Street for just four years, between October 1995 and September 1999, Gaynor Faye’s character Judy Mallett continues to hold a cherished place in the hearts of fans.
She featured in more than 350 episodes before Judy, mother to baby twins Billy and Becky, tragically collapsed in her back garden following a sudden blood clot while hanging out the washing.
The heartbreaking death brought her time on the cobbles to a close.
While leaving the long-running ITV soap was Gaynor’s own choice, she openly admits she regrets Judy being written out in such a permanent fashion.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the 54-year-old confessed she would have welcomed the opportunity to return to the show that catapulted her to fame.
“I loved playing Judy – honestly, it was such a fortunate time. Those were the golden years of Corrie, with all the old stalwarts.
“Judy and Gary Mallett (played by Ian Mercer) came in as these young characters – they were like the young Duckworths. Even Vera [Duckworth] called Judy ‘dog rough’, which you’d never get away with today,” she exclaimed.
“I feel really fortunate to have played her. In many ways, I wish she hadn’t been killed off, because I could have come back, but it was early in my career, and I wanted to go off and do other things,” she said, speaking on behalf of WhichBingo.
“The producer at the time said they needed to give her something huge – the character was so loved she couldn’t just disappear in the back of a taxi.
“So yes, sadly she died, but never say never… with all these resurrections from the dead, could Judy Mallett come back? I wouldn’t rule anything out,” she laughed.
She was alluding to a widely criticised recent plotline in which it emerged Becky Swain (Amy Cudden) was actually alive and had been in witness protection, despite her wife Lisa (Vicky Myers) thinking she was dead for years, reports the Express.
Pondering why she felt the character struck a chord with audiences, she said: “I think she resonated because, while she was very funny and a bit gobby, she had loads of heart.
“That’s what you want in a character – someone who can speak her mind but also carry real emotional weight.
“Once the writers realised I could handle the drama as well, the comedy eased off, and I started getting the big dramatic storylines – like the kidnapping of Judy’s baby, when Joanne Froggatt came in to play Zoe. Look how well she’s doing now!
“That was a massive storyline, and it had a huge arc spanning almost a year. You don’t tend to get that in soaps today – the stories come thick and fast now, whereas back then one big story could play out over months.”
Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX
