TV cop Simone wants to be yummy mummy

The News Letter
(Belfast, Northern Ireland)

Date:September 13, 2006

 

Byline: BY ELLIE GENOWER, PA

WHEN actress Simone Lahbib first heard that she had landed a part in gritty detective series Wire In The Blood, there was just one thing that concerned her. It wasn't the dark, often gory subject matter - she was worried about how she would manage juggling a stressful filming schedule with looking after her new daughter Skye, born last October.

"I took the job when she was only three months old and my husband (actor Raffaello Degruttola) wasn't sure if I should be going back to work so soon," explains the Scottish actress who plays new Detective Inspector

Alex Fielding in the show. "I didn't know how it was going to work having the baby."

Luckily Simone's mum came to the rescue, looking after Skye in Simone's trailer during filming in Newcastle.

"My mum was just fantastic with Skye," says Simone, 41. "It was such a joy to come off set, open the trailer door and give the baby a cuddle. It was the best way to de-stress before returning to filming.

"If I get another acting job, my mum and dad will both look after the baby, because next time round, she ain't going to be able to sit in a trailer that's for sure. She's already wanting to run about."

Simone auditioned for Wire In The Blood after Hermione Norris decided to leave at the end of the last series.

"I went for the part when I was six months' pregnant," she smiles.

"I hadn't seen the show before - I'm a little out of touch with British TV, so I asked for some DVDs and was very impressed.

"There wasn't a problem coming in after Hermione," she continues. "I only saw one of the episodes she did, so I didn't really have any preconceived ideas. It was good to come in with a fresh eye."

The first episode sees Simone's tough talking character Alex thrust straight into a murder investigation when the body of a woman is found buried in a barrel in a remote field. The grisly discovery is soon followed by reports of girls going missing in similar circumstances.

"The storyline transition worked really well," Simone says. "It was very wise of them to basically get the character straight into the job."

Meanwhile clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill (Robson Green) is puzzled to find that Alex's predecessor, his old crime-fighting partner Carol, has left for a new job in South Africa. He has to use all his powers of persuasion to convince sceptical Alex to let him work on the missing girl cases. But there's more than just Tony for Alex to worry about. As a single mum she has to balance fighting crime with spending time with her son.

"You see quite a lot of Alex's home life, her relationship with her son, and being a single mum," says Simone. "I would have had to imagine playing a mother in the past, but it was nice to do this part because I was dealing with my own baby for real."

But Simone faced another problem. Embarking on a role so soon after giving birth meant she had an uphill battle to shed her remaining baby bulge.

"I have no idea how some of these celebrities do it," she exclaims.

"Victoria Beckham coming out of hospital, with her tummy completely flat - please tell me she had liposuction and a tummy tuck! Because I've got a photograph of me lying with the baby when I came out of hospital, and my stomach was so big it looked like there was another person in the bed!

"More than 10 months later, I'm still waiting for it to go away. Only a few weeks ago I was offered a seat on the tube by someone who thought I was pregnant. But you look at your child and it's all worth it. God willing, I'll have another one, but it will probably get worse!"

Having another baby would no doubt add to the demands on Simone's time, although she's already had to make adjustments.

"Priorities change," she sighs. "Things that were previously important become less so. Not getting my physique back for instance. I got clever and wore elasticated knickers when I was filming. I just don't have time

to go to the gym. I really wanted to be a yummy mummy but I'm lucky if I get to brush my hair during the day."

Simone feels strongly about the pressure on actresses to look good. "When I was doing Bad Girls, my agent phoned me and said she'd had a call from the producers asking if I was pregnant, and if I wasn't, then why had I put on so much weight?" she exclaims.

"I was furious! I told her to tell them that if they want a model, they should employ one, and that I'm playing a real person in this - I'm not a size eight - what do they want? When I went in for the second series I was actually a bit thinner but that was my choice.

"For Wire In The Blood, I feel I do look slightly overweight for the character," she adds. "But you know what? It works for her. It's quite an edgy show with not always the most flattering lighting, and that's what creates the character. She's a boss and she's a mum."

Simone's past roles include Bad Girls' tough bisexual governor Helen Stewart and career-driven Isobel Anderson in Monarch Of The Glen.

"There are always parts of you in the character," she says. "I can be feisty and I'll put up a fight if needs be. Quite often my characters are ballsy with a vulnerable side, although you don't see much vulnerability in Alex.

"I'm passionate and I fight all the way, but I wish I could be like people who don't care what others think and can just let things lie. I

expel far too much energy on things."

Having completed filming, Simone is enjoying spending time with her family, although she's hoping ITV will give the go ahead for another series of Wire In The Blood.

"They are all such a genuinely lovely bunch of people to work with and it's a really happy environment," she enthuses. "It's a gritty show with a lot of very heavy dark subject matter."

n Wire On the Blood starts on ITV1 on Wednesday, September 20.

FAMOUS FACTFILE

Name: Simone Lahbib
Birthdate: February 6, 1965
Significant other: Married actor Raffaello Degruttola in May 2003
Career high: Landing the part of DI Alex Fielding in Wire In The Blood
Career low: Being stalked by cult fans while she was in Bad Girls
Famous for: Playing bisexual governess Helen Stewart in Bad Girls

Words of wisdom: "A lot of Scotch women I know are feisty and have strong personalities. I'm a bit like that, too. I love bringing that aspect of my own personality into my roles."

 

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