The gripping Channel 5 drama, The Feud, has made its way to Netflix after captivating British audiences earlier this year, reports the Mirror.
This six-part series delves into a community thrown into chaos by one family’s plans to extend their home.
However, the plot thickens beyond a mere home renovation gone wrong as secrets, death and other shocking revelations come to light.
The Feud boasts an impressive cast led by former soap star Jill Halfpenny, alongside Whitechapel’s Rupert Penry-Jones, EastEnders icon Larry Lamb, James Fleet from Bridgerton and Outlander, Grantchester’s Tessa Peake-Jones, Downton Abbey’s Amy Nuttall, Coronation Street’s Chris Gascoyne, Derry Girls’ Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Ray Fearon from Fantastic Beasts, and Megan Trower.
Viewers are intrigued by leading lady Halfpenny and her life off-screen, including her candid reflections on grief and a double tragic loss, her past roles, and her dazzling stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
Inside Jill Halfpenny’s heartbreaking ‘double loss’
Halfpenny has bravely spoken about the devastating loss of her long-term partner Matt Janes, who tragically died aged 43 in 2017 due to a fatal heart attack while at the gym.
Adding to her sorrow, the actress also lost her father Colin Halfpenny to a heart attack when she was just four years old.
The actress confessed that she didn’t confront her grief at the time but instead kept herself occupied, using dance as a means to cope with her loss.
Earlier this year, Halfpenny shared with The Guardian: “Without knowing, I was learning a lesson: ballet is often painful, but if you stay with the pain it gets a lot easier. It took me decades to realise the same method applies to dealing with grief.”
In 2019, she opened up to Line of Duty star Craig Parkinson on the Two Show Podcast about experiencing a “double loss” following the deaths of both Janes and her father.
Halfpenny elaborated: “My grief at losing Matt, my partner, was so brutal and so shocking but then what happened was it brought out all of the grief from my dad as well.
“It was like dealing with a double loss – a loss I’d never actually dealt with. I just found myself thinking, ‘Oh my god, this is unbearable. What am I going to do? I cannot cope. I just want cessation, this feeling to stop’.”
However, she has since found happiness in a relationship with marketing executive Ian McAllister, whom she met in 2023.
The actress was previously married to fellow actor Craig Conway for three years between 2007 and 2010, and they share a son named Harvey.
She also had a brief romance with her Byker Grove co-star Ant McPartlin.
In addition to discussing her grief, Halfpenny also touched on her struggle with alcohol in her memoir A Life Reimagined, where she detailed her journey towards sobriety.
In her book, she penned: “For a long time, alcohol had helped me escape, to stop thinking. Conversely, I thought it also helped me access all the things that lay dormant inside me.”
Reflecting on attending an AA meeting, Halfpenny penned: “I felt a mix of shame and desperation as I approached the door but I took a seat at the back and attempted to take it all in.”
Nevertheless, AA provided tremendous support as she continued: “They were talking about how their insides didn’t match their outsides, how they struggled with feelings of unworthiness and for the first time in my life, I felt completely seen.”
Inside Jill Halfpenny’s EastEnders role
Originally from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, Halfpenny initially rose to prominence on the BBC children’s programme Byker Grove.
She subsequently appeared in ITV’s Coronation Street as Rebecca Hopkins between 1999 and 2000.
Nevertheless, her role in BBC soap EastEnders as Kate Mitchell truly thrust her into the limelight.
She featured in EastEnders between 2002 and 2005, before departing to pursue other ventures including In the Club, Humans, Three Girls, Liar, and Dark Money, amongst numerous other productions.
She has most recently appeared in TV series Daddy Issues.
Inside Jill Halfpenny’s Strictly Come Dancing stint
Halfpenny chose to showcase her remarkable dancing abilities when she joined the lineup of Strictly Come Dancing back in 2004.
She was paired with professional Darren Bennet on the second series of the popular BBC programme and claimed the Glitterball Trophy after dazzling the judges and capturing the nation’s affection.
In addition to securing the trophy, Halfpenny subsequently returned to the series for the Christmas special in 2008.
The Feud is streaming on Netflix now
