Interview: Mark Jordon - My mum wasn't always there, I never knew my dad..I had to grow up fast; THE REAL REAL ME: Mark Jordon reveals all to NINA MYSKOW.
Byline: NINA MYSKOWMARK Jordon is so modest that it's hard to believe he has been in ITV's top-rated drama Heartbeat as village bobby PC Phil Bellamy for a decade - much longer than many other cast members.
Now Bellamy is, at last, about to brave taking his relationship with barmaid Gina further in forthcoming episodes of the Sixties favourite (ITV, Sunday, 8pm). The "will they, won't they get married?" scenes are screened this month.
Mark is married to actress Siobhan Finneran. They live in a village near Oldham with their two children, Joseph, two and Poppy, 20 weeks. Open, down-to-earth and dedicated, his obvious delight at fatherhood and family is heartwarming. He's a thoroughly decent bloke.I'VE never really believed that I'm a looker, although I do know I scrub up well. Do you know what I mean? I can make an effort.
But there's so much about myself that I don't like. I don't like my legs. I've got the skinniest legs in the world. Cocktail-stick legs, really awful.
And the freckles used to be a concern at school, you see. That sticks in your head as you get older.
But I'm at an age - just turned 36 - where I don't actually give a monkey's. It's great, because I can laugh at myself now, because I'm a dad. It just doesn't matter.
But for a short period of time, I suddenly got concerned about what I looked like.
When I started on Heartbeat ten years ago, I was at a weight where I was all right with myself. But one day somebody made a comment about my chubby cheeks. It was very flippant and throwaway but it stuck.
I'd had to get some new publicity pictures taken and I was asking some friends about them. Looking at them, somebody said: "You look a bit Jeremy Beadle."
He's got a defined beard shape but it looks like he's got gerbil cheeks. Not being derogatory towards the gent but the beard emphasises the cheeks. And it made me think: "God, NO!"
I was 131/2 stone, and I'm 6ft. I really took it to heart. I'd just started the job.
Nick Berry, who starred in the series then, is a pretty boy and I thought: "I'll try to do something." Because I'd never bothered. But I wanted to look right. I knew that people would be judging me.
Starting on the show, I thought: "Six months of catering food, I'll be even worse!" So I went the opposite way. I was the only one saying: "Jacket potato." And going to the salad bar. Day in, day out, for six months, and I lost more than two stone.
I dropped to 11 stone and I thought I was great. That's when everybody said, "Oo-er." That I was too skinny. "You're gaunt," they'd say. And then I became a bit obsessive and silly. I didn't want to bang it all back on. I'd wake up and think: "Better watch what I have today." It lasted three series. Daft.
I can see how people have eating disorders. I wouldn't dream of putting myself in the same category and it seems unfair for me to be like a drama queen about it but the truth is, I spent far too much time concerned about my weight, when there was no need. And I have every sympathy for someone who is obsessive. For me, it was always there, like a shadow. I was thinking about it all the time. And then I started dating the wife. She used to say: "Too much of the cheekbones." I would argue and say: "Oh, no, no. I've got to think about what I'm eating."
But being with someone, over the course of time, I realised how silly I was.
And being a dad, there is no time to be as conscious. You do pick at kids' food. So I've put on an extra stone that I probably wouldn't like to carry, round the middle. I'm about 12 or 121/2 stone. But so what? I like where I am now.
Growing up on a council estate in Oldham, there were lots of problems at home. My nan brought me up, my mum wasn't around for a while and I didn't know my dad. It's never concerned me. The only thing that's struck me is that Joseph has a dad and Poppy's got a dad. Already, if I've got nothing else right, I've given them one extra benefit. They've got two parents. A big difference compared to how I was brought up.
IT was a difficult start but I didn't know. It's like, if you're born without limbs, it's something you deal with. It's not: "Woe is me."
But I realise I was older from an early age because I dealt with stuff in a more mature fashion than any of my mates. I had to
I was definitely the gawky, shy kid. But I was also the idiot who would do anything anybody asked, to fit in. The school clown. I was a massive fan of the cinema, idolised Steve McQueen. He inspired me to be an actor. Acting is that showy-off bit of me. To get the attention. I started with Oldham Youth Theatre when I was 16, got into TV and by the time I was 21, I had a great CV. I was thrilled to get Heartbeat. God, yeah!
Although I didn't know how big a break it was. I didn't realise that ten years down the line, I'd still be in the number one drama. It really is bonkers!
Ten years of knowing where your dosh is coming from and ten years I've enjoyed. It could have been ten years of hell but it's been really good fun, so it's luxury.
And this month I've got a great storyline. Bellamy braves taking the romance a bit further. It's what everyone's wanted. Every time I go to Tesco's or wherever, people always ask: "Are you and Gina getting it together?"
So there's big stuff happening. Which is why I have no ambitions to go: "I'm off to pastures new." B******s! What an idiot I'd be! The people are lovely. And I've grown up doing the show, I've got married. When I got down on my knee to Siobhan, I could say: "I've got a steady job. Sort of."
Siobhan is fan-frigging-tastic! Oh God, I fancied the a*** off her for years. She's just so lovely. We met when I was 20 and she was a bezzie, bezzie mate for years. We didn't realise that half of our fun was flirtatious.
But she's an actor and she eventually did a couple of Heartbeats and by then we were struggling with the fact that we fancied each other. And that was it, seven years ago. It was brilliant, a real slushy romance. And four years ago, I proposed.
I took her down to London for a romantic weekend, to a show at the Albert Hall. I said we'd go in a cab but I'd organised a limo. She thought I was being a flash git! When we got in, there was our favourite music, I'd given the driver the tape.
And then he pulled over outside Harrods. I'd said to him: "I don't want to knock on the window and have you pull over just anywhere. I want to remember where we are." So he said: "It looks beautiful, Harrods at night, all lit up."
YOU know, I actually got down on one knee in the back of the limo. She was like: "Get up, get up! Stop mucking about."
But she said: "Yes," straight away. Like an a***, I'd done it before the show. Cirque du Soleil - it's wonderful and we had a box but we don't remember any of it. Gushy, and looking at each other. We got married a year later. She's brilliant, one of the warmest people. I'm still shy, probably from being an only kid, and I really admire her for that. She's got the most beautiful blue eyes and she makes me laugh so much when she laughs, she's got this brilliant giggle.
And she's so sexy. Yes, my lady's very sassy. Oh, I love her to bits. I think she's the bestest best. Everybody at work takes the mickey out of me because we're so lovey-dovey. You can guarantee the sun will come up, the moon will go round and that me and Shiv will be together.
And we've been blessed with two beautiful kids. Joseph is two years and 19 weeks. Look, these pictures go everywhere with me.
He's on "terrible twos", but he makes me melt every night I go in to give him a kiss. And Poppy is a mini-Siobhan, just 20 weeks. God, I'm so proud! The only problem is, we're both shattered. We moved house just before Christmas and Shiv went back to work a week after Poppy. She's still working on the second series of Clocking Off. She must be on her knees. We've not had a full night's sleep for a long time.
But who cares? I've got a perfect family. I'm desperately in love, I'm doing a job I really enjoy.
I want what we've got to continue. As long as we're all solid, I don't give a monkey's about what happens. Because there's nothing that can dent us. I could turn my hand to anything if I had to. I'd build dry stone walls...
So I don't really think that my first instinct is to say: "In five year's time, I want to be doing movies." In five year's time, I want to make sure that we're all as happy we are now. That's all. Anything on top of that would be brilliant.
And the rest. I figure, can take a flying leap.
It's true! I'm a real nut case
MY BIGGEST DOWNFALL
PEANUTS. I could eat them till the cows come home, I'm really addicted. Working, I'd rather miss a meal and pick at my family bag, those big ones. In a week I'll shift a fair few. Those little bags you buy in bars, what do you get? A handful. Crap. They're useless to me, them. I could shift half a big bag without even thinking.
MY FAVOURITE DRINK
VODKA and tonic. I hardly get to see it at all these days. Ever. Because of the children. I still love the taste, I still think it's a lovely drink but waking up with a hangover, it's just not on. Tried it a couple of times, the pair of us wanted to be normal and go out. We just can't do it. Also, I'm drunk as a lord on one now. Instead I drink Vimto till it's coming out of my ears.
MY BIGGEST VICE
I USED to smoke too much, a pack a day. Socialising, sometimes 40 or 50. Siobhan went cold turkey as soon as she was pregnant with Joseph. And when he was born and I saw him, there was no way on God's earth I wanted to smoke or have fags around him. It seemed ridiculous. So I stopped the day he was born. God, I feel miles better.
MY DARK SECRETS
FAIR skin and freckles, that's me. I was the only one in school who was freckly, which made me feel awkward. And I've got such fair skin, Years ago on a beach in Thailand, a group of Thai locals and their children were laughing at me. Then they started taking pictures. I didn't understand it. I was told later that they'd never seen anyone as white as me!
MY FITNESS REGIME
I'M healthy but not as fit as I'd like to be. I'm old and fartypants enough to get out of breath. I used to run, walk, climb and I did marathons for charity when I was younger. And we used to go dancing in clubs, burn the energy off. But I can't stand sport, watching or being involved. I'm a nightmare for my mates. They'll talk about the match and I've no idea what they're on about. Just no idea. And no interest at all.
CAPTION(S):
Mark Jordon is very much at home in Heartbeat country. And he reckons wife Siobhan (inset), star of Clocking Off, is "fan-frigging-tastic" = Picture: PHIL SPENCER
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| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Mirror (London, England) |
| Date: | Feb 2, 2001 |
| Words: | 2059 |
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