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Dallas star Linda Gray talks about new Hollyoaks role

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Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
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Linda Gray is set make her move from Hollywood to Hollyoaks later this week. The American actress will take on the role of Marnie Nightingale's mother, Tabitha.

And in her first TV interview ahead of her appearance in Chester, the 76-year-old star revealed she struggled to understand the Liverpudlian accent.

"It was a little hard to understand the very first day. I was like, 'excuse me, pardon me, could you say that again?' Then I was right there," she told Good Morning Britain’s Richard Arnold via video link from Los Angeles.

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linda© Photo: ITV

Dallas star Linda Gray is set to appear in Hollyoaks this week

Discussing why she took the surprise soap role, Linda explained it was down to persuasive show bosses luring her in by showing her previous dramatic episodes.

"Hollyoaks have wonderful producers and they invited me over and when I saw some of the episodes, I said, 'Perfect, sign me up! I have to go in and just shake it up a little.'"

Linda is famed for playing the vivacious Sue-Ellen Ewing in the hit American TV series Dallas from 1978 to 1989, which also starred the late Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy.

linda 2z© Photo: Getty Images

The actress is famed for playing Sue-Ellen Ewing in the hit American TV series Dallas

Remembering her good friend and on-screen partner Larry (J. R Ewing), the actress said: "He was my dearest friend for 37 years, consummate actor and we miss him terribly. I talked to Patrick [Duffy] the other day, we were all very good friends, they called us the three musketeers and that's how we felt.

"Larry still is around, I know he is. He would be very upset that he wasn’t invited on Hollyoaks but he's living vicariously through me and loving it. But there were always good times with Larry, he lived a life very well lived and we miss him."