Hermione Norris open to Cold Feet reunion as women her age 'are snubbed from good roles'

Cold Feet star Hermione Norris said she'd be 'lying' to say she hadn't considered cosmetic work as she hit out at women being overlooked after the age of 45. "Ageing is a beautiful thing, particularly for women. We come into our power and strength at 50 plus," she said

She’s forever immortalised in telly history thanks to roles in Cold Feet, Drop The Dead Donkey and Wire In The Blood. But far from wanting distance from that younger on-screen versionof herself, Hermione Norris is happy to embrace it – and the ageing process that goes with it.

Ostensibly she’s chatting to Notebook about the launch of a new channel, Rewind TV, a kind of telly time machine set to bring back some familiar small-screen favourites – Drop The Dead Donkey included.

But, speaking on a chilly Monday morning from her home on a farm in Dorset, the mum-of-two is in
a reflective mood about those early roles which made her a household name – and why now, at 57, she believes women “come into their power” in their later decades.

“It is a bit of a strange place to be, seeing yourself from 10 or 15 years ago but it is kind of my reality,” laughs Hermione, who was cast in her breakout role of Karen Marsden in Cold Feet back in 1998.

“Personally, I love seeing actors I’ve worked with throughout my career, or who I’ve admired and respected down the years, in old reruns of programmes like Miss Marple. I’m excited by that – there they are in different incarnations and in different chapters of their lives but still themselves. I think it’s great.

“And at the end of the day it’s a special thing to get older, after all.”

Ageing – and society’s attitude to older women in particular – is something which the London-born actress has forthright views about.

“I think ageing is a beautiful thing, particularly for women. We come into our power and strength at 50 plus.

“Sadly, I just don’t see women of my age represented very much. We’re not reflected back on TV, culturally we start to disappear yet we make up such a proportion of society and the workforce.

“There are lots of women in that age bracket who I know, who I admire and respect and who inspire me and they have done or are doing extraordinary things in their lives. It may be being done quietly, not very visibly yet they have the most powerful voices and wisdom.

“They are sharing that too – and that is golden. They are golden.”

If it’s tough for women in general to retain visibility after a certain age, then the spectre of ageism must be particularly haunting for actresses.

“It is just a statement of fact that work stops for a lot of us after a certain age – it gets less after 45 and then goes down again later on,” she reveals.

Has she ever been tempted to turn to cosmetic procedures to hold back the years?

“I’d be lying if I said no,” admits Hermione, who has been married to Simon Wheeler, a writer on Wire In The Blood, since 2002 and with whom she shares son Wilf and daughter Hero.

“As an actor you’re very visible – you are your own currency, your own utensil. It’s just you and that’s what you’re employed for – not being able to write or work out maths – it’s just you. So of course you want to look as good as you possibly can and as fresh as you possibly can and yes, that definitely magnifies the issues around getting older.”

She admits that the younger Hermione may have been “judgemental” about the quest to retain youth, adding, “But don’t judge anyone until you’re in their shoes because when you take the journey your views change.”

So, is she a gym bunny or a runner?

Hermione bursts out laughing – “That would be no. I’m too lazy!” – and is adamant that she looks after herself for herself alone.

“Not for a man or a woman or anybody. Just me. I think if women want to feel good about themselves
for themselves, however they do it, then I support that.”

It was a desire to find greater peace and balance for both her and her family which saw them move from London to the countryside nine years ago, finally settling in a farmhouse in Dorset.

“My son was very dyslexic and I needed him to have other stuff in his life where he could be free and not be constantly weighed and measured by numeracy and literacy.

With dogs to walk and acres of green around her, it’s clear that, although she still loves the capital – “it has
a pulse of its own and it’s where I am most aligned” – being surrounded by nature is where she feels
at peace.

“The best things about the countryside? Rolling around in the mud. Nobody cares what you look like. The freedom and nature – they are the best healers. It’s gorgeous.

“The worst thing about the countryside? Probably the mud again!”

Talk of the children leads her to reflect on the looming empty nest. With Wilf now 19 and no longer at home and her daughter in lower sixth, it won’t be long until the household is child-free.

“I guess you don’t know how things are going to affect you until you get there, do you? I just want them to be living their best lives and if they’re happy, I’m happy.” Are either of them likely to follow their parents into show business?

“I’ve had the most amazing time, a wonderful career and I’ve loved it but it can be bumpy – I’d rather they had some joy elsewhere.”

That “wonderful career” began in earnest when, having been out of work for some months, she secured the role of Karen in Cold Feet.

The much-loved comedy drama series, which also starred James Nesbitt, John Thomson, Fay Ripley, Robert Bathurst and Helen Baxendale, followed the lives of three 30-something couples in Manchester
and initially ran from 1998 to 2003.

A further outing came in 2016. But having been hesitant to return, would she consider another re-boot?

“I do think because it has followed a generation throughout their lives, then yes – perhaps catching up with us in our seventies!”

She and her former castmates were reunited recently at a mutual friend’s birthday party while she
and Fay Ripley will feature in a new series of ITV’s DNA Journey, something she describes as an “extraordinary experience”.

“We laughed a lot for a week,” is all she will reveal about that at this stage.

We will also see her on cinema screens in The Salt Path starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson, the film adaptation of the much-loved book.

Back to TV and Hermione is very much looking forward to catching those old episodes of Drop The Dead Donkey.

“I did that before Cold Feet and it was just a very, very exciting time. As a young actress, life felt hopeful – it was all in front of us.”

So what might her advice be to her younger self?

“I’d say be kind to yourself. I think we’re taught from a very early age to take care of others – it’s all about everybody else, not ourselves.

“It would be good if women were taught to nurture and care for themselves.”