My life as a love cheat; Rugged Emmerdale star Ray Ashcroft talks about the similarities between himself and the womanising soap character he plays.
Byline: Rachel MurphyRay Ashcroft couldn't believe his luck. Not only had he landed a plum role as married father-of-three Ronnie Marsden in the top soap Emmerdale, but a month later he'd embarked on a sizzling affair with the sexy Woolpack landlady, Louise. Even more remarkably, Ray felt an immediate empathy for his love-cheat character.
"In many ways I am Ronnie," says Ray, 48. "He always has that twinkle in his eye and, like most red-blooded males, I'm a sucker for a pretty face, like him. He's a bit of a teenager pushing 50, and so am I. I've also had my moments. And I've been unfaithful."
Sadly, Ray has paid a heavy price for that infidelity. He is reluctant to go into details, but hints that it led to the end of his long-term relationship with his former partner, also called Louise.
"I don't want to discuss why we split up, but let's just say that I'm not practised in the art of deception, like Ronnie," says Ray.
He has been single since he and Louise, who works for the police, broke up last year, and is thankful that the split has not damaged his relationship with their children - Pia, 18, Annie, 15, and six-year-old Billy.
"I'm as close as ever to my kids, who all still live with me in Sheffield," says the former Bill star. "We are all passionate Sheffield United supporters and go to the match together. I'm very childish about football. If I pass the Sheffield Wednesday ground with the kids in the car I let them open the sunroof and shout and swear.
"They are cool about me being on Emmerdale, although Annie has turned her nose up at the affair business. She says it's `gross' that her dad is on TV in compromising positions with a young blonde. Also, bizarrely, I've been nominated for Sexiest Male in the Soap Awards which is embarrassing for all of us."
Ray still can't quite believe that his lorry driver character is having a steamy affair with Louise, played by stunning Aussie actress Emily Symons.
"At my age it's pretty flattering to be paired up with someone as gorgeous as Emily," he grins. "Ronnie is rubbing his hands with glee as Louise wants a sexual relationship with no strings. They end up canoodling in the most ridiculous places, but I'm sure half the male population would like to be in my situation."
Ray's jovial banter masks a deep inner fear. There is a history of fatal illness on the male side of his family. In the late '90s, his brother Roger died from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 49. And he has lost a cousin to the same condition.
"I was talking to my cousin when he died," he says. "When you witness something like that it stays with you forever. My other brother and I were asked if we wanted to be checked out, but I don't see the point in knowing if something terrible is waiting to happen. Just knowing it is a hereditary condition is bad enough. I've had to get used to living with that worry."
This attitude is typical of his no-nonsense upbringing. Ray grew up in Sheffield, where his dad worked in a steelworks and his mum served in a butcher's shop. He left school at 16 and fell into acting by chance, stepping in when an actor at the Sheffield Arts Festival broke a leg. He then joined a small theatre company attached to the city's Crucible as a labourer on pounds 17 a week. He clocked up five years in rep and TV ads before deciding to study for a degree in English Literature at Sheffield University.
"I felt I'd missed out on an education so I got on a course when I was 26," he says. "I funded it from a Guinness ad I'd done on the telly - it was three years of reading Lord Byron with a bottle of red wine. That's another thing Ronnie and I have in common. He is interested in bettering himself - he reads and listens to the radio when he's on the road. I can identify with that."
After graduating, Ray went back into rep before moving into television drama. He dated his first soap barmaid in 1990, when he played Gloria's jailbird boyfriend in Coronation Street. And 10 years ago he turned up in Emmerdale, as a policeman who beat up Eric Pollard after discovering he was having a fling with his wife.
Ray's big break came in 1996 when he joined The Bill as Det Sgt Geoff Daly, but he was axed after five years as part of a huge character cull. He returned to bit parts on shows such as Heartbeat until he came back to Emmerdale in March.
"I feel very lucky to have another regular role in a high-profile show, especially one that's made so close to my home up North," says Ray. "And I've got a good feeling about Ronnie. I hope he's going to stick around for a long while."
l See Soap Box, page 13.
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| Title Annotation: | Features |
|---|---|
| Publication: | The Mirror (London, England) |
| Date: | May 3, 2003 |
| Words: | 858 |
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