Soap star Fiona Wade tells OK! about her delight in moving to a theatre role in stage play 2:22 A Ghost Story and her belief in all things supernatural
WORDS MITYA UNDERWOOD PHOTOS: JOHAN PERSSON, TONY WARD, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
IN GOOD SPIRITS
When Fiona Wade left Emmerdale for the final time in early 2023, she was preparing for a long, somewhat relaxing break from the hectic pace of live television. She also told her husband, fellow actor Simon Cotton, that they would spend more time together without the trips back and forth on the M1 from their London home up to the Leeds set.
But a year on, she’s back on the road touring in a theatre play, and as she exclusively tells OK!, fully embracing her life away from the soap.
“I knew that my first job out of Emmerdale had to be the right one, and then this came up. It’s honestly been the best decision ever,” she tells us. “When you leave a soap, I think some people think you made the decision yesterday, but these decisions are taken over years. It was a scary decision, but it was the right one.
“Theatre can feel more scary and in television you’re slightly protected by the fact you can do another take, and I was very comfortable in Emmerdale but I wanted a change, I wanted to grow, and I wanted to do something that challenged me.”
Today, Fiona, 44, is enjoying a rare day off with Simon, 46, (he’s currently at the gym, she tells us), who appeared alongside her in Emmerdale in August 2017 as Home Farm Estate client Hugh Bryant.
The couple married in a stunning Bahá’í Faith ceremony at the Georgian-style Euridge Manor and Orangery in the Cotswolds in late 2019, and have settled into their albeit very busy married life perfectly.
As they both work in the industry, they’re often on jobs that take them away from home for long periods – Simon spent much of last year away, and now Fiona is on the road with 2:22 A Ghost Story – but she says it works for them.
“I think I always wanted to be with someone who was in the same field as me. It was very important to me that I had support from someone and that I equally could support them. I know I rave about him a lot but it’s all true, he’s such a special person.
“Sometimes I do think, ‘Oh goodness, we’re both actors.’ It’s not like one of us has a normal job, there’s no normality, but actually we’re actors for a reason, we both want that kind of life, so it’s normality for us. We love our jobs and we love each other, so t
