Gillian Kearney

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Gillian, as Debbie McGrath, with Simon O'Brien in Damon and Debbie
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Gillian, as Debbie McGrath, with Simon O'Brien in Damon and Debbie

Gillian Kearney (born 9 May 1972, Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside) is a British actress

Contents

[edit] Biography

Gillian's interest in acting began whilst at secondary school. After repeatedly being overlooked for the lead roles in school productions, she decided to join the Liverpool Everyman Youth Theatre. It was here, as a fourteen-year-old in 1986, that she was spotted by members of the production team at Mersey Television; this resulted in her being aked to audition for a role in Channel 4's Liverpool-set drama series Brookside. Gillian thought she would be little more than an extra, but she actually landed the role of Damon Grant's girlfriend, Debbie McGrath. The character was intended to appear in just a handful of episodes, but Debbie was a great success and the role went on to last for over a year. When Simon O'Brien decided to leave The Close, he requested that his character be killed off so he wouldn't be tempted to return to the show. Because Damon was so popular, particularly with younger viewers, it was decided to create a 'soap bubble' in which the character would meet his demise — Damon and Debbie became Britain's first mini-series spin-off from a soap opera. A year after filming her final scenes, Gillian was asked to return for a few episodes. Christmas '88 saw Debbie McGrath make an unexpected return to visit Sheila Grant, Damon's mother; she arrived with her baby, Simon — Damon's son.

[edit] Notable appearances

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[edit] Trivia

[edit] External links