Actress Wendi Peters, 42, left Coronation Street in 2007 playing the feisty, colourful Cilla Battersby-Brown for four years. She has been busy over the past year, reaching the Celebrity Masterchef final then touring around Ireland in the one woman play Mrs Whippy, written by the successful Irish writer Cecelia Ahern (who wrote the movie Ps. I Love You.)
In the autumn of 2009 she performed in the successful sell out show Grumpy Old Women: Live alongside Jennie Eclair and Susie Blake – which they are taking to the West End in April/May this year. Wendi is married to ex-actor Kenny and has a daughter, Gracie, born in 2000.
Why did you decide to leave Coronation Street?
The schedule was demanding and because I live near London i was away from home in Manchester a lot of the time. I was also looking for a new challenge. I love working in theatre, it is where I started, and I knew that was where I wanted to push my acting further through live performance. I was really pleased though to be asked back to do the one off Coronation Street special in South Africa because, because it was a lot of fun.
How does the stage compare to the screen?
It is completely different and everyone always asks me which I prefer. The answer always is that I love them both and I can’t pick between them. But theatre is where I came from and what I know best. I love the immediate response you get from a live audience but you feel exhausted at the end of each night because you have put so much of yourself into the performance. TV is a much subtler genre, you don’t need to paste on a grin from ear to ear to reach people in the back row so you learn to be more reserved in your acting and less ‘panto’.
Do you get nervous before a live show?
It’s a really odd thing, I don’t get bad nerves, probably because I feel so at home out there. Yes, I get a few butterflies as everyone does but generally I don’t worry about things in advance. We ‘Grumpies’ do have a little routine that we have to run through the whole first five minutes in the dressing room before the show to ease ourselves in so we know we aren’t going in cold. Sometimes I do worry that I don’t get nervous enough!
How does with the challenges of juggling working on a live show with the responsibilities of a family impact on your day to day life?
When I am working in a show such as Grumpy Old Women Live the first thing to be affected by the stresses of fitting work around my family life is my diet. At home we eat very healthily but as soon as I get busy, rushing between school picks and getting to the theatre on time I lose control of what I am eating. I tend to grab convenience foods when and where I can without paying attention to whether or not it is healthy or if I actually even want it.
Is it only stress which causes you to emotionally eat?
No I also find myself doing it when I am bored. I think "I'll make a cup of tea... and what can I have to eat with that?". The next thing you know I am eating and I'm not even hungry. But I have found Bach™ Emotional Eating Kit has really helped me to take control of my eating habits. When I am having one of those days where I've tried on every item in my wardrobe and think I look awful in everything, I grab the Bach Emotional Eating Kit and take a few drops of the essences instead of eating a piece of cake to cheer myself up
What’s your diet like in general?
Generally we eat very healthily. I want my daughter to eat healthy foods but obviously there are occasions where we treat ourselves but I try to keep it in perspective and, it is a cliché, everything in moderation. If I genuinely want to eat it then I will but I know that if I am eating something naughty today then I need to cut back the next day to balance it out.
What is your naughtiest treat?
Puddings and cake are my weakness. As you may have seen on Celebrity Masterchef I love baking, but the more you bake the more cake there is to eat. If I know there is some in the cupboard I will end up eating it whether I am hungry or not. I try to give away as much as I can!
Did you enjoy competing in Celebrity Masterchef?
I loved it. Last year was actually my second time on the programme. First time round I knew I hadn’t done as well as I could and when I was asked back last year I jumped at the chance to show everyone what I could do. I think as much as I owe Cilla a huge amount it gave the public a chance to see another side to me and to recognise me as Wendi not Cilla.
How do you stay healthy?
I live a very active lifestyle and I really enjoy swimming. If I don’t go swimming everyday I find I get very grumpy. It is probably actually my way of relaxing. I don’t hang about in the pool though, I have got it down to about 60 lengths in 28 minutes - which is quite a powerful swim! My other main activity is walking. We have Springer Spaniel and a Yorkie Poo which is the perfect excuse to walk everyday.
Do you feel under pressure to look good?
I think I was lucky to come to TV work later on in my life when I already had quite a reassured sense of who I am and how I feel about myself. So I never felt the need to conform to the expectations of the industry. I can see that girls coming into the limelight at a young age when they haven’t yet developed that self confidence can easily be affected by the pressure and I think it would have happened to me if I had been under that kind of pressure so young.
Are you proud to be setting a healthy example to all the ‘natural’ women out there?
Absolutely. I am the norm. At a size 14-16 I represent the average size of a woman in Britain. I really hope when people see me they say ‘Look it’s Wendi, she’s normal’. I am happy with who I am and I have never claimed to be any different or pretend that I am something I am not. To me, being healthy is more important than what size clothes I wear and there are so many skinny people out there who are not healthy.
Also I want to teach my daughter that it is ok to be who you are. Already at 9 she is looking at pictures in magazines and commenting. I want to promote a good body image for her.
Are you a natural remedies fan?
Where possible, I much prefer to try a natural product before I go down the medicine route. I am very lucky that generally I’m a very healthy person but there are times when you need to take medicines. My husband has an eye condition which he needs to takes medication for everyday, but for general day to day ailments I much prefer something natural.
How do you make time for just the two of you?
Kenny is now a sports massage therapist and due to his eye condition he can’t drive, so we converted the garage into his workspace and he now works from home. Which means when I am at home we get to see each other during the day when Gracie is at school. It is nice because we don’t have to make the time, it naturally happens.
How have you managed to balance your career with being a Mum?
It is hard when I go away touring but it’s something I have to do because of work and Gracie understands that. But there is the upside because it’s wonderful to come home to her when I have been away and when I am at home it is all quality time because I am focused on her. When working in blocks of eight week runs, such as the current show, it means I get three or four weeks in between where I am solely ‘mum’
What does your daughter think when you’re on the TV?
I think she’s a bit bored of it all now! She has her friends over and they say ‘You’re mum’s on TV!’ and she’s like ‘yeah, whatever!’. But she also knows that there are perks to what I do and she gets to benefit from it too.
What do you like doing to relax and do you find it easy to relax?
I find it really hard to relax, I like to be on the go and doing things all the time. I sit down then think of something I could do so I get up, then come back and jump up again to do something else. It drives my husband mad! Even in the evenings I do things whilst I am watching the television to keep busy. If I do try to concentrate on something I really want to watch I fall asleep half way through so I can’t win!
What makes you angry?
I am not someone who gets worked up over much but little niggly everyday things like inconsiderate drivers on country lanes do make me angry. But I don’t have any real major bugbears – life is too short.
What makes you laugh?
My daughter makes me laugh. She’s at that age where she thinks she is grown up and says things but hasn’t quite got the meaning right. Also comedy on television, I love the traditional BBC sitcom style programmes which I was brought up on. When Kenny and I got together French and Saunders were just taking off and we watched a lot of that together. Victoria Wood is also one of my comedy heroes, I love watching her.
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why is it so special?
We have a few and it depends what kind of holiday we are after. We are really lucky that my parents have a place out in Spain near Estapona so we can always jump on a plane and go there (which is a relaxing home from home). We also like busy holidays. We’ve just got back from Florida where we took Gracie for the ‘Disney’ experience. We are a bit of thrill seeker family so we just love all the rollercoasters and go on them over and over again – but we need a holiday when we got back because we are shattered!
What is your favourite hotel or spa in the UK?
The Salthouse Harbour hotel is a gorgeous privately owned hotel on the waterfront at Neptune Quay in Ipswich. It is actually a converted warehouse and is a striking contemporary space. Another unique hotel I love is the Malmaison Aberdeen with its boutique feel and unusual design quirks.
What do you look for in a holiday?
Somewhere warm! Cold holidays such as skiing hold no appeal to me at all. Kenny and Gracie are always on at me to go and try it and I tell them they can go together and I’ll go and sit on a beach for a week and read my book!
How do you stay fit on holiday?
Usually there is a pool which is great because I can keep up my swimming routine everyday. I also take along my Bach Emotional Eating Kit which helps me to keep to my healthy eating regimes whilst away - so I don’t end up mindlessly snacking throughout the day as tends to happen on holiday! The three 10ml Bach Original Flower Essences in the kit are great because I can carry them in my hand luggage.
What are the three items you can’t live without on holiday? Why?
A book – I am so busy it is the only time I get to read!
My Ipod – I love music and wouldn’t be without my Ipod. I listen mainly to showtunes and love to sing along.
My Bach Emotional Eating Kit – I tend to snack for the sake of it on holiday regardless of whether I am hungry or not and the kit helps me to keep eating healthily (but with a few treats!) whilst away.
Where else would you like to go and why?
Australia is the one place I haven’t been and would love to go. I have been to all the other places on my list but my work routine has made it hard to find the time to travel that far because you really need at least a month in Australia to travel around and see the different cities properly.
Wendi uses Bach Emotional Eating Kit, the first product available in the UK to help with emotional eating, as part of her healthy living regime. Priced £9.95 the kit is available from Holland and Barrett, Boots and all good independent healthfood and pharmacy stores. For more information visit www.bachremedies.co.uk
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