Sherrie Hewson

Sherrie Hewson
Hewson in 2009
Born	Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson (1950-09-17) 17 September 1950 Burton Joyce, Nottinghamshire, England
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Broadcaster, Actor, Presenter
Years active	1972–present
Spouse(s)	Ken Boyd (m. 1983-2011; divorced)[1]
Children	Keeley (b. 1984)

Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson (born 17 September 1950) is an English actress, broadcaster and novelist best known for her television roles with ITV.

From 1993 until 1997 and again in 2006, Sherrie played Maureen Webster in the popular ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

In 2003, Hewson joined the ITV lunchtime chat show Loose Women and as of 2013, is the longest serving panellist on the programme.

In 2004, Sherrie joined the cast of Emmerdale, playing Lesley Meredith. She made her last appearance in 2006.

Since 2012, Sherrie has played the hotel owner Joyce Temple-Savage in the ITV sitcom series Benidorm.

Early life

Born in Nottinghamshire, Hewson was brought up in a showbusiness family; her father was a singer and her mother a model. She began performing at the age of six, touring the UK's theatres in revues with her own signature song, "You've Got to Have Heart". She was granted a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Upon graduating, Sherrie won seven major awards, including Best Actress and Best Comedy Actress.

Early Career

Hewson's screen career began in the early 1970s, with early television appearances in Z Cars, The Moonstone and Within These Walls. In 1975, she joined the Carry On team for the film Carry On Behind and was subsequently cast in several episodes of the Carry On Laughing television series.

As well as further film roles in The Slipper and the Rose alongside Richard Chamberlain and Edith Evans and Hanover Street with Harrison Ford, Hewson became a regular fixture on television, most notably as part of a young cast of future stars in Love For Lydia. She also had a brief role in the 1979 Alan Bennett drama Afternoon Off as Iris, the ultimately unworthy object of the protagonist Lee's quest.

In the 1980s, as well as appearances in dramas such as Play for Today, The Sandbaggers, Minder, Juliet Bravo and The Gentle Touch, Hewson's talent for comedy saw her invited to join Russ Abbot's Madhouse series and she remained an integral part of his team for over ten years, later appearing in The Russ Abbot Show. Other comedy appearances included roles in Home to Roost, Home James!, Never the Twain and Haggard, while she was also a popular foil for various comedians, including Stanley Baxter, Les Dawson, Little and Large, Cannon and Ball and Les Dennis. Her most famous role during this period was as Mary in the popular sitcom In Loving Memory, alongside Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny.

Career

In 1993, she was cast as Maureen Naylor in the UK's longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street, the dizzy, accident-prone supermarket assistant. In 1996, Hewson was due to leave the show to film the first series of the BBC's Oh, Doctor Beeching!, reprising her role of May Skinner from the 1995 pilot. Although the part had been written with her in mind, Hewson agreed to sign a new contract at the request of the Coronation Street producers, who had storylines planned for her character, and Julia Deakin took over the role of May. However, in 1997, Coronation Street's new producer Brian Park axed a number of characters, Maureen was among them. Hewson's departing episode was broadcast in October 1997. In 2006, she was invited to resurrect the character of Maureen Webster for two Christmas editions of Coronation Street.

Hewson returned to the theatre – appearing in Billy Liar and several pantomimes – and radio, notably as the lead character in a series entitled The Circle. She was also in great demand for light entertainment programmes, and made appearances on Blankety Blank, Noel's House Party and Call My Bluff among others. In 1999, Hewson was cast as Jean in the sitcom Barbara.

In 2001, Hewson made a second foray into the world of soap opera, as receptionist Virginia Raven in the revival of Crossroads.

When Crossroads ended in 2003, Hewson became a regular panelist on Loose Women, an ITV daytime magazine programme aimed at women. As of 2013, Sherrie is the longest serving panellist on the programme.

In 2004, she took part in a celebrity edition of makeover show 10 Years Younger and underwent cosmetic surgery to her face as well as a hair and fashion overhaul. She revealed that her decision to appear was partially influenced by the breakdown of her 20-year marriage to husband Ken Boyd.

In 2004, Hewson joined the cast of a third soap opera, Emmerdale, playing Lesley Meredith, mother of fishmonger Simon. She remained with the show for two years until her departure on 27 December 2006. ^{[citation needed]}

2007 saw Hewson make a number of non-acting television appearances. As well as Loose Women, she featured in Celebrity MasterChef, Dickinson's Real Deal and was runner-up in Soapstar Superchef alongside her former Emmerdale co-star Julia Mallam. Hewson also appeared on a celebrity special of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

In 2012, Hewson joined the cast of Benidorm as the new manager of the Solana hotel, Joyce Temple-Savage. She has appeared in the show since its fifth series. ^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Guest appearances

• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? - Contestant
• 10 Years Younger (2004) - Celebrity participant
• Hole in the Wall (20 September 2008) - Contestant
• Ten Mile Menu (29 July 2010) - Participant
• Come Dine with Me: Celebrity Special (12 December 2010) - Contestant
• Pointless Celebrities (5 May 2012) - Contestant with Carol McGiffin
• All Star Family Fortunes (20 January 2013) - Contestant
• Tipping Point: Lucky Stars (18 August 2013) - Contestant, won £1,400 for Only Foals and Horses
• The Chase: Celebrity Special (21 December 2013) - Contestant, won £1,000 for Derian House Children's Hospice
• The Cube: Celebrity Special (28 December 2013) - Contestant, won £333 for Only Foals and Horses

Writing

In March 2008, Hewson took part in the BBC reality show Murder Most Famous and was declared the winner. She won the opportunity to write her own crime fiction novel, The Tannery, which was published on 5 March 2009 by Pan Macmillan as one of their 'quick reads', released annually as part of the World Book Day celebrations.

Publications

• The Tannery (2009)
• Behind The Laughter (2011)

Personal life

Hewson has one daughter, Keeley (born 1984), from her marriage to Ken Boyd whom she met in 1976, they married in May 1983, she later separated from Boyd after he admitted to having an affair. Hewson announced on Loose Women on 19 October 2011, that she and Boyd are now divorced.^[1][2] She has professed to having a passion for Thai cuisine which forms an integral part of her diet.^[3]

On Sunday 7 October 2007, the News of the World revealed that, after over thirty years in showbusiness, Hewson had declared bankruptcy. She described the experience as "humiliating". ^{[citation needed]}

Hewson is cousins with retired footballer Garry Birtles.^[4] Hewson's mother died in 2012.^[5]

References

External links

• Sherrie Hewson at the Internet Movie Database
• Sherrie's profile at itv.com