As a West End star, Kerry Ellis has performed for Beyoncé, George Clooney and the King.
But it was an appearance at her son Alfie's careers day that proved one of her most memorable roles.
“I had them all doing We Will Rock You and banging on the tables!” Kerry, 47, tells host Ateh Jewel on this week’s episode of HELLO!’s Second Act podcast.
Kerry shot to fame as the understudy for Eliza Doolittle in the 2001 West End revival of My Fair Lady, stepping into the role when the show’s lead, Martine McCutcheon, fell ill. It was there that she caught the eye of the Queen guitarist Sir Brian May, who invited her to audition for the musical We Will Rock You. Kerry went on to originate the lead role of Meat in the West End production in 2002.
In 2007, she became the first British actress to play Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked – and inspired the future star of the Wicked films, Cynthia Erivo.
“I remember going to see [Cynthia] at the Soho Theatre, and she just finished college. I must have been doing Wicked at the time, and she was doing a show called Lift that was written by a friend of mine.
“Cynthia was obviously magic, you couldn't take your eyes off her. I remember chatting to her afterwards and saying, ‘So what would you like to do?’ She went, ‘I want your job, I want to play Elphaba.’ That was 20 years before she was even in that world. She was brilliant.
“I loved going to see the movie with my two boys. They finally understood what I did.”
Having been in the business since she was a teenager, Kerry admits the pressure of being in the spotlight led to struggles with body image, something she is gradually reprogramming in midlife. “I had curves at such a young age,” she says. “I think it affected my relationship with food and my own body.
“Now, it's so important to me to feel fit and healthy. But still, when I see a concert picture, I pick it to pieces, which is awful. I'm kind of ashamed that I feel like that.
“The first thing I teach in workshops with young people is to love who you are. We have got to help the next generation because it's so hard to internalise.”
She takes mentoring younger generations seriously and is delighted to be performing at the Girl Guides’ Big Gig concert in October. “It sold out in 90 minutes – I was really humbled,” she says. “The Wicked connection is massive for young women, it gives them so much empowerment. It speaks volumes about friendships and how people change.
“To be able to go there and hear them all sing along with me, I'm really excited.”
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