Angela Griffin has been one of TV’s most recognisable faces for more than 30 years – joining Coronation Street back in 1992, and going on to appear in the likes of Holby City, Waterloo Road and Cutting It.
The former soap star has also presented her own BBC Radio 2 show, Unwinds With Angela Griffin, since 2021, and most recently she turned her hand to directing, stepping behind the camera for the popular Belfast-based police drama, Blue Lights.
Even though she’s busy “multi-hyphenating the swear word out of life”, the 50-year-old also finds time to be a doting mum to daughters Tallulah, 22, and Melissa, 19, and a devoted wife to her husband, fellow actor Jason Milligan, 57.
And while she may enjoy a glittering career in showbiz herself, Angela insists that there is no pressure on her girls to follow in her footsteps.
“My eldest has just graduated from St Andrews,” she tells us, beaming with pride. “She’s doing great. I love that she’s gone down the more academic route. I just want her to follow whatever dream she has, I’m happy for both of them to do whatever they want to do.”
Despite her own frenetic life, there are two ladies who Angela knows she can always count on to ground her and enjoy some serious laughs with. During her stint as nurse Jasmine Hopkins in BBC hospital drama Holby City from 1999 to 2001, she became good friends with co-stars Lisa Faulkner and Nicola Stephenson.
The trio formed a close bond that is still going strong today, but making and maintaining relationships in the entertainment industry isn’t easy.
“They’re my best friends, they’re my sisters. I appreciate now, having been in the business for so long, how hard it can be. It’s tough to keep relationships going in this business – both friendships and marriages. You’re six months in this country and six months in that city,” she explains.
She adds, “The fact that we’ve managed to maintain our friendship, I’m thankful for them every single day. They’re my family and I’m so grateful that we’re super close.”
How do they do it then, despite their hectic schedules? “It’s all about the work you put in. You’ve got to put the time in,” Angela insists.
She joined Corrie aged just 16 as feisty hairdresser Fiona Middleton, and suddenly found herself dealing with overnight fame. Things have changed dramatically since then, she muses. “My generation had it really different. The pressures were totally different,” she says.
Of course, there was no social media when Angela started out. “And I don’t know which I prefer, to be honest,” she says, candidly. “Instant fame definitely doesn’t happen from TV shows any more, unless they’re reality shows, and then it’s only among a certain demographic.
“We’ll go somewhere and my daughters will recognise someone and go, ‘Oh my God!’ and I’ll have literally no idea who they are!”
When she left the cobbles after six years, Angela didn’t even think of the risks that come with quitting a secure acting job. In hindsight, she’s proud of her gung-ho attitude.
“I was 21 and I had no idea,” she says. “I had a mortgage at the time, but no clue that the likelihood of getting a job was actually really quite small. She was very brave, that 21-year-old girl.”
Luckily, it all worked out and, after two years on Holby City, Angela appeared in hairdressing drama Cutting It alongside Amanda Holden and Sarah Parish, before landing her signature role as Kim Campbell on Waterloo Road.
During her initial run on the school-based series, Kim served as art teacher and head of pastoral care, on hand to help students through any crisis while navigating her own on/off relationship with deputy head Andrew Treneman (Jamie Glover).
When the programme was revived in early 2023, Kim returned and left again almost two years later, but she has fond memories. “The stories of school chime with everybody,” Angela says when asked about the secret to the show’s success as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.
She says, “Everyone’s had to go through it in life. If it’s through the lenses of the teachers, it also appeals to adults.
“There are also people who grew up with it and were at school at the same time as Chlo and Donte, and might now be parents themselves.”
Angela confesses she would be open to reprising her role as kind-hearted Kim, admitting she never rules anything out when it comes to her career. “With Kim, she always comes to save the day. I’d never say never. I’ve never burned any of my bridges. Unless I am dead in the storyline, then I could always be back – like The Terminator!” she laughs.
But one of her most beloved gigs, she smiles, is the radio show she’s been hosting for the past five years. She’s looking forward to attending the station’s star-studded Radio 2 In The Park event in Stirling this weekend.
This year, the line-up includes performances from Chaka Khan, Lulu and Simple Minds, and Angela – whose Radio 2 show is a one-hour, mood-boosting musical journey designed to help listeners relax and decompress – is a big believer in the healing power of music.
“We have to take that time out, take those moments of mindfulness and moments of calm. I don’t think it ends very well otherwise,” she says. “I love my show, and the impact it has and how so many people let me into their lives. The letters that we get of how important Unwinds is can be so moving.
“Sometimes, listeners are in hospital and they tell me the show is helping them through their recuperation. There are also those who have lost partners, who are going home to an empty house and want some company. It’s such a privilege to get to be there with them.”
BBC Radio 2 In The Park takes place in Stirling, 11 to 13 September. Tickets are available now at http://bbc.co.uk/radio2inthepark, and highlights will be available on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds
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