Viewers of The Feud are curious about lead star Jill Halfpenny
10:57, 10 Nov 2025
The Feud, a Channel 5 drama, has made its way to Netflix after captivating British audiences earlier this year, reports the Mirror.
This six-part series delves into the chaos that ensues in a neighbourhood when one family’s home extension plans go awry, revealing secrets, death and other unsavoury truths.
The show boasts a star-studded cast led by former soap actress Jill Halfpenny, alongside Rupert Penry-Jones of Whitechapel, EastEnders legend 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.
Many fans 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 stint on Strictly Come Dancing.
Jill Halfpenny has previously addressed her grief (Image: GETTY)READ MORE: All Creatures Great and Small fans do ‘double take’ as they recognise newcomerREAD MORE: Channel 5 unveils exciting Autumn lineup including new Yorkshire drama and return of family favourite
Jill Halfpenny’s heart-wrenching experience of ‘double loss’
The actress opened up about the devastating loss of her long-term partner Matt Janes, who tragically died of a heart attack at the gym aged 43 in 2017.
Adding to her sorrow, Halfpenny also lost her father Colin to a heart attack when she was just four years old.
She confessed that she didn’t confront her grief at the time, instead keeping herself occupied, including using dance as a coping mechanism.
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 spoke in her memoir A Life Reimagined about using alcohol to cope with the pain of grief and 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.”
Speaking about attending her first AA meeting, Halfpenny wrote: “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.”
The organisation proved to be a lifeline, as she explained: “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.”
Jill Halfpenny has found a new legion of fans after The Feud landed on Netflix (Image: GETTY)
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Inside Jill Halfpenny’s EastEnders role
Originally from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, Halfpenny first rose to prominence on the BBC children’s programme Byker Grove.
She subsequently appeared in ITV’s Coronation Street as Rebecca Hopkins from 1999 to 2000.
Yet it was her role in BBC soap EastEnders as Kate Mitchell that truly propelled her into the limelight.
She featured in EastEnders from 2002 to 2005, before departing to take on other projects including In the Club, Humans, Three Girls, Liar, and Dark Money, amongst numerous other productions. Most recently, she has starred in the television series Daddy Issues.
Inside Jill Halfpenny’s Strictly Come Dancing
Halfpenny chose to showcase her remarkable dancing abilities when she joined the cast of Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.
She was paired with professional dancer Darren Bennett in the show’s second series and claimed the Glitterball Trophy after dazzling the judges and capturing the affection of viewers nationwide.
Beyond securing the trophy, Halfpenny made a return appearance for the Christmas special in 2008.
The Feud is streaming on Netflix now
