Fair City [News, Spoilers and Discussion v2]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/irishsol/homepage/news/4731680/Fair-Citys-Jean-on-leaving-soap-Ill-miss-my-palsand-the-money.html

FAIR City fans will see real tears shed when Carrigstown stalwart Rita Doyle is laid to rest this week.

News that the long-suffering wife and ma has died of a stroke in a nursing home leaves Bela’s brood devastated.
But the stars of the popular RTE soap yesterday told how saying goodbye to an actress they had all come to think of as real family was heart-rending.
And Jean Costello, who has played Rita for the past 23 years, admitted she will have a big gap to fill when she wakes up to life after Fair City — and its payslips.
Like her character, Jean has also suffered from ill-health, bouncing back from two strokes of her own and a battle with cancer.
Now on the mend, she is looking forward to the future, but confesses that it is unlikely to be with the national broadcaster.
Asked about her plans, Jean said: “I’ll try other things. It won’t be RTE. I’d love to do theatre again. I’ll miss the money from Fair City, though. It was 23 years on a good week’s wages.”
And Jean, who filmed her final scenes for the soap in 2010, joked she would consider a shock return to Carrigstown.
She smiled: “I feel proud of the show, but I was getting sick at the time and I had to get out. I might be back.
“Jean Costello can come back, not Rita. I could be Rita Doyle’s sister.”
Yesterday the veteran star was reunited with her on-screen ex Bela, played by Jim Bartley. Sarah Flood, Ciara O’Callaghan and Niall O’Shea — who played her kids Suzanne, Yvonne and Darren — and newcomer Leah Egan, who joins the soap as youngest daughter Louise, were also on hand.
And they revealed how filming this week’s funeral scenes proved a tough task.
Ciara explained: “It was very emotional for us the fact that Jean’s character was being buried. For all of us, being so close to Jean, it was very tough. A lot of the emotion, the tears you’ll see, is real.”
Sarah added: “The funeral scenes were very upsetting.
“The cast really are like your second family. It’s been very hard without Jean. The public will miss her because she’s like the Irish mammy.”
Meanwhile, Jean fondly recalled her time on the show, including her famous rows with philandering Bela.
On her best scenes, she said: “I had a few funny ones and a few that were a bit dirty. In the bed... Jimmy loved the bed, didn’t he?”
Jim, who also had health problems in recent years, added: “We worked together for years, we worked very well, but things happen along the way for different reasons.
“I was struck by illness as well the year before last with a near catastrophic stroke and Jean, she won’t mind me saying, she’s been through the mill.”
But brave Jean told how she is feeling stronger again after a tough couple of years.
She said: “I am feeling better. I have my health back. I just want a bit of fat back now.”

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

She said: “I just want a bit of fat back now.”

She's in the right place.

just seen there that Bob Charles is doing a prog on the tenements on tv3 tonight if anyone interested

One member of the family doesn't even bother to turn up at the mother's funeral. Very strange imho. Sorry to see that the actress who played Rita suffered such awful health problems in her life. Very tough times for her.

I don't think it is really going to affect viewers really. Fans of the show are so used to Rita not in the show for such a long time. It shouldn't have gone on too long. What is the difference really to people????. A few of the Doyle family members are gone for a good while too. I'm not so impressed with the weak way the whole thing has been done.

laylag wrote: »

Terrible acting from Bella so far...and are ye really supposed to believe that's Louise? Couldn't be more unlike the actress that played her before!

head transplant

Who the feck would want Luke over Tommy, affairs aside

Aghhh jaysus some shocking acting.

the storyline with the dillons is the weirdest one yet..

and louise's boyfriend has been on screen for 10 minutes and he's a pain! Also I'm impressed at how fast they arrived from australia..

why do I watch this show again? :P

This episode is really putting me off me dinner

Hon the Leo!!!

Poor tommy...felt very sorry for him. Leo did a good rendition of that song...actually a good decent ending to the episode!