Suranne Jones: Being a Foster mum has made a difference
SURANNE JONES says becoming a mother helped her prepare for her return to our screens in the second series of Doctor Foster.
The 38-year-old said having a baby boy last year gave her a fresh insight into how GP Gemma Foster — the married mum she plays — is destroyed by her husband’s infidelity.
‘Being a wife and a mother made me realise the gravitas of that family unit falling apart because I’d go home at night and have a baby to put to bed,’ she explained.
The star, married to magazine editor Laurence Akers (pictured top with her), said she is managing to juggle being a mum with her work.
‘Actors are lucky,’ she said. ‘I did a lot of work and now I’m taking a lot of time off — I’m there until Christmas now, down the play park in my Converses.’
The follow-up to the hit first series sees Gemma’s world turned upside-down again when cheating husband Simon, played by Bertie Carvel, 39, goes back to his mistress Kate Parks.
Suranne said the series has a ‘weird sexy edge’. But she revealed that despite the on-screen tension, she and Carvel spent hours happily exercising together off-camera to ensure they kept in trim.
‘We were planking for charity,’ she said. ‘Spoiler alert, Gemma takes her clothes off at some point and I’d just had a baby. Bertie could do five minutes without even trying, which was really annoying.’
Fans can expect a confrontation between Gemma and young temptress Kate, played by Jodie Comer, 24. ‘There is an episode that centres around Kate, am I allowed to say that? Well, I just did,’ teased Jones. Doctor Foster returns to BBC1 next month.
Author: Tom Stichbury
