For decades, Brenda Blethyn has been a cornerstone of British dramas, from 2005's Pride & Prejudice to the long-running detective series Vera, and now Britbox's A Woman of Substance. Off-screen, Brenda has been a dedicated wife to her husband of 16 years – and partner of over 50 years – and tells HELLO! that she may have figured out the unconventional secret to a lasting partnership.
"We're still together, but he just lives upstairs," she laughs. Calling it "a temporary arrangement at the moment," Brenda says that "it's working brilliantly" and that "it might be the secret, to have your own space".
"I've got my space. He's always cold, and I'm always hot. I always want to watch a drama, and he wants to watch football. So it's working very well," she says.
© Getty ImagesBrenda met Michael Mayhew in 1975 at London's National Theatre, where he later became art director. The couple tied the knot 35 years later in 2010 and share their beloved 10-year-old cockapoo, Jack.
New series A Woman of Substance is an eight-part adaptation of Barbara Taylor Bradford's iconic novel, which tells the rags-to-riches tale of Emma Harte, a maid living in 20th-century Yorkshire who rises to become the richest woman in the world.
© Channel 4At 80, Brenda is still working and looking for "interesting stories that I haven't heard before".
"A Woman of Substance – a working-class girl who goes on this journey through the 20th century and becomes the richest woman in the world? – Gosh, you don't hear that story every day of the week."
The acclaimed actress said she is drawn to things that make the audience change their perspective. "With A Woman of Substance, this woman's journey to wreak revenge on the family that disowned her and wounded her [is one] I don't understand. That want for revenge? I'm not like that."
For many, Brenda will also be synonymous with the cosy detective series Vera, also on Britbox. She starred as the titular character for 14 years.
Filming saw her and Michael apart for six months of the year; the series filmed in Yorkshire, in the north of England, while Brenda and Michael have a home in Kent, on the south east coast of the country.
© Helen Williams"That was a job made in heaven, to be honest with you," shares Brenda. "Towards the end, I had a great input into it; I would make adjustments to the script because I was on it for so long, I knew more about the character than anybody."
"I was trusted with it, which is very flattering – and Anne Cleeves even said in an interview that when she's writing the books now, she hears my voice when she's writing, and I was so flattered by that. I mean, what a compliment."
A Woman of Substance will debut on BritBox on Wednesday, June 24 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes weekly.
