KEEPING HIS COOL

Richard Armitage tells us how his 'nerdy' childhood inspired his new thriller

- INTERVIEW: NICKY MORRIS

I's hard to believe that Richard Armitage was “not a cool kid” at school. He achieved heartthrob status when he played the smouldering John Thornton in the 2004 BBC period drama North and South, and thrilled Hollywood when he portrayed Thorin Oakenshield in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy adaptation of The Hobbit.

But the Spooks star says he was “bullied a bit” for being a “nerd” in secondary school – an experience he drew on when writing his second thriller novel, The Cut, which is released later this month.

Richard, 53, who grew up in the rural Leicestershire village of Huncote and now splits his time between London and New York, was partly inspired by his childhood when writing his latest book. In it, the murder of a school student in a sleepy village is brought back into focus 30 years later, when filmmakers arrive to shoot a Hollywood movie.

The prolific actor has been a constant fixture on our screens for the past 20 years, having starred in TV shows such as the BBC’s Robin Hood and films including a string of Harlan Coben adaptations for Netflix, including Fool Me Once and Missing You. “I've gone so much further than I ever thought I would. But I think maybe that comes from the nerd mentality,” he tells HELLO! from his home in New York.

Here, Richard tells us how fame made him retreat from the spotlight, why he opened up about his sexuality, and bringing his books to life on the small screen for the first time.

Richard, what inspired the plot of The Cut?

“I grew up in a village very similar to the one I’m writing about, and although I’m not directly referring to it, there were two schoolgirls who were murdered when I was young.