Faye Brookes: Coronation Street to Chicago siren

How many of the character’s personality traits would you own up to? Would you stop at nothing to achieve success – short of shooting her boyfriend dead with a handgun to make the papers, of course?

Brookes laughs as she weighs up the question, taking a little time perhaps to wonder about her Roxie ratings. “It’s interesting that I’m playing this role. She’s certainly complicated. There are moments when she’s so sweet but she’s also very clever. And a couple of steps ahead of everyone else.

“Roxie certainly knows how to get her name in the papers, but this is exactly the polar opposite of how I would like to be.”

Faye Brookes has hit the red tops probably more times than she would have liked in recent years. At first, all was positive; the young musical theatre success story (Legally Blonde, Shrek, Grease) from Stretford made great copy, having landed a key role in Coronation Street, the iconic institution just along the road.

Faye Brookes in Corrie

But of course, with the success comes the searching spotlight and Brookes’ romantic life was revealed to the world; her engagement and break-up with singer Gareth Brookes, an alleged ‘fling’ with co-star Sam Robertson, and later her new relationship with TV fitness trainer Joe Davis. “You have to think about your privacy,” she explains. “You want to do your work and hope that people will appreciate you for that alone.”

If she had been a young woman who worked as a lawyer or a shop assistant, her private life wouldn’t be the subject of national curiosity. You have a relationship, and it ends. But when you’re on the telly . . .

Did she realise the spotlight would be so bright? “No, I don’t think anything can prepare you for the attention that comes with being in a soap, especially when you’ve grown up in the same area the show is from.

“You end up realising you’re an influencer for younger girls, (her character was gay) who may idolise you, and that brings a real weight of responsibility. And you are a representative for the LGBT community. But having said that, ITV are very supportive. So, you learn to embrace the attention.”

As a young girl, was there a Roxie-like determination to succeed in showbiz? “I was definitely ambitious, so much so that my parents recognised this and wanted me to try lots of different things. And I did that, as did my other three siblings, although we all now work in different worlds.

“I certainly wanted to do acting as a child. But by the time I reached secondary school I really had the bug for it. When it came to going to drama school, I was dead sure. However, my parents suggested I get a back up plan, just in case it didn’t work out.

“Yet, my thinking was ‘What? There is no back-up plan. I’m going to make this work.’ So, in that sense, I can relate to Roxy. She had no back-up plan either.”

Faye Brookes’ parents (her dad, Carl is an oil rig worker, and her mother Inger a holistic therapist) didn’t have the money to fund her Guildford drama school education. “I had to take on three jobs to make that happen. And I had to work harder at drama college than most because I knew there was so much talent around me.

“I knew I wasn’t the most naturally gifted student so to stand out I had to be the first one in on the mornings and the last one out. Nothing was handed on a silver platter. I believe in hard work.” (She still does; this Christmas the Chicago cast have three weeks off, but Brookes will be in panto in Hull, playing Snow White.) Still in drama college, Brookes, who was awarded the Principal’s Choice Award, was snapped up to appear alongside Nigel Havers in panto. She soon landed an agent and found herself starring in Legally Blonde.

Brookes then set her sights on television. But she had no idea she’d land the role of Kate Connor in Corrie, nor go on to win Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards.

“I was in the mix with so many others for the roles, and it was so tough because you really have to come up with the character. I really had to prove I could become Kate Connor. So, there was real pressure. This was a show that had been part of my childhood, yet it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Faye Brookes seems to have a handle on what is expected of someone in the showbiz limelight. “The attention comes in peaks and troughs, but I understand that papers have to do their job, if they have to fabricate a story to make it more interesting, which is what happens in the Chicago storyline as well.

“I also know it can have an effect on your mental health. But at the same time, I surround myself with people who really know me, and I have a very grounded family who have watched all the highs and lows and they’ve always supported me.”

She adds, in steely voice. “If there are people out there who aren’t necessarily supportive then I have to ignore them.”

Brookes hasn’t been one to rush to offer quotes or correct the untruths she reads. “I don’t always speak out. But if I can go to sleep at night in peace that’s fine by me.”

She adds; “What’s really important is to be content in your daily life and be content with the partner. I have a very grounded partner by my side and that’s really key for me.”

The actor offers a self-aware smile. “You know, it’s taken me 34 years to get to this point to fully understand that life is about figuring it out as we go along. And this is actually a line I say in the show as Roxie.

“It has been great to discover what Roxie learns and compare it to what I’ve learned in the industry, about doors being closed in your face. And yes, sometimes art does imitate life.”

Brookes, who took part in the last series of Dancing on Ice and came second, has the work ethic of Roxie. When she heard auditions were being held remotely, she sent a self-tape of herself singing All That Jazz. “And then as soon as lockdown lifted, I went down to meet the producers and I had to dance in this square box because I wasn’t allowed near anybody because of Covid.”

She says the role of Roxy has come along at the right time. “If I had been given this role ten years ago, I don’t think I would have understood her. But at this age it’s different. You have to go through life experience to be able to understand characters like that.”

The actor appreciates that Roxy Hart doesn’t have the solid support system growing up that she enjoyed, family and friends around to keep her balanced. And take the mickey.

She laughs; “When I landed the role, I told my family that this character is so much fun to play, and that they’d get to see me perform in a way they’ve never seen me before. And they said, ‘Is it because you’re now being really sexy?’”

Brookes isn’t sure of what the future holds; her Corrie character wasn’t killed off so there is a chance she could land on the cobbles again.

Right now, post-pandemic, she’s just delighted to be back at work, starring in a show about survival. “My dream is to continue to play this role. For the next year I’m going to grow with this part and learn from Roxy. It’s all great life experience, isn’t it?”

Chicago, the King’s Theatre, September 11-18, also stars Darren Day, Sinitta and Divina de Campo.