Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page says saying goodbye to BBC show was like 'grieving'

Joanna Page has opened up astir the affectional toll of filming the last-ever occurrence of Gavin & Stacey, which volition aerial connected Christmas Day, and however it felt similar 'grieving'

Joanna Page confessed saying goodbye to Gavin & Stacey felt similar bidding farewell to a loved 1 arsenic she cried each time connected set.

Filming the last-ever occurrence of the much-loved sitcom took its toll connected the 47-year-old, leaving her shattered. Anticipation is gathering for the finale, hitting our screens connected Christmas Day.

Joanna, who plays Stacey, opened up astir reuniting with the formed and the affectional scenes that came with it. She said: “Saying goodbye to Gavin & Stacey felt similar a grief. When I came location from filming, I was perfectly bloody exhausted! You’re saying goodbye to each determination and person. I was crying from the 2nd day.

“All of america knew, ‘This is it’, and that’s wherefore being backmost unneurotic felt truthful beauteous and meant truthful much. It was similar a large household reunion, and due to the fact that I knew it was the past one, I wasn’t tense due to the fact that I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh God, I’ve got to beryllium good.’ I conscionable wanted to beryllium with everybody, person amusive and accidental goodbye to my family, adjacent though I’ll spot them again!”

Co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones, who play Smithy and Nessa, confirmed successful May the amusement would instrumentality for 1 past episode. Filming began successful September astatine immoderate of the show’s iconic locations successful Wales and Essex. It has been 5 years since Nessa got down connected 1 knee, declaring her emotion for Smithy and asking him to wed her – and fans cannot hold to find retired if they get their happily ever after.

Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb volition beryllium backmost arsenic Pam and Mick Shipman, arsenic volition Rob Brydon arsenic Uncle Bryn. “I was 29 erstwhile I started connected Gavin & Stacey,” Joanna told Woman & Home magazine. “No different occupation has ever affected maine [as much] oregon volition ever travel arsenic adjacent arsenic this job.”

When we drawback up with Stacey and Gavin, played by Mathew Horne, astatine Christmas, the mates are looking for caller and breathtaking ways to spice up their matrimony of 17 years. Joanna says she inactive manages to support the spark live with her real-life hubby James Thornton by making the astir of the unsocial clip they get together, adjacent booking a edifice country for a speedy rendezvous.

She said: “James and I haven’t yet near each 4 kids to instrumentality a play break. We tin compression it into 2 hours! When we went to spot an occurrence of Strictly Come Dancing being filmed, we pulled up to the workplace rather early, truthful we drove down the roadworthy and booked a country successful a Travelodge. We made the astir of our evening away. We didn’t bash a batch of sleeping, I volition accidental that!”

Joanna said going backmost to Gavin & Stacey helped her consciousness much similar herself again aft years focusing connected her children – Eva, nine, Kit, seven, Noah, six, and Willow, two. “While I was away, I bought my archetypal mean bra successful two-and-a-half years,” she explained. “I started filming wearing my maternity feeding bras and ended with a proper, real-life, grown-up bra! You cognize erstwhile you’re discovering yourself again and feeling charismatic and sexy?

“I was distant from the children and wasn’t being Mum, having work for everyone and conscionable doing each the cooking. Mentally, I created immoderate abstraction to unbend and person a spot of clip for myself to respire and sleep. That made maine consciousness truly rather good, coming location and feeling that I’m not conscionable Mum, I’m Jo arsenic well.”

Happy with her brood, Joanna took the determination to person nary much children aft their fourth. But she says she would emotion to turn their household done different avenues 1 day. She revealed: “I’ve been reasoning astir fostering oregon adopting. It’s thing I’ve chatted astir with James due to the fact that I’m inactive precise maternal, and it’s thing that I would deliberation astir successful the future.

“I don’t regret having my tubes tied, and though I felt broody astatine the commencement of the year, I don’t immoderate more. At the opening of this year, I did a wellness check, which progressive a scan that showed that my close ovary had packed up. There wasn’t thing left, nary eggs. That infinitesimal felt huge, arsenic if my assemblage was saying, ‘That is it.’”

The star’s adjacent favored task volition beryllium a BBC 2 amusement successful January exploring her passionateness for carnal welfare, called Joanna Page’s Wild Life.

The JANUARY contented of woman&home is connected merchantability 5TH DECEMBER 2024