'I hear Mum's voice all the time'

Actor Gaynor Faye on her latest venture and why she's determined to carry on her mother's legacy

- VICKI POWER

Whenever Gaynor Faye has a conundrum, she knows where to turn for help - to her late mother, celebrated screenwriter Kay Mellor, who died suddenly in May 2022.

'I hear my mum's voice all the time,' says former Emmerdale star Gaynor, 52, speaking to Woman's Weekly. 'I often think, "What would Mum do?" It's my initial thought whenever I'm wondering about something. And when I'm working at Rollem [the production company Kay founded] and something comes up, everybody's like, "What would Kay do?" And yes, we often get the answer!'

Kay's untimely death at just 71 shocked the showbiz world - she was the creator of some of Britain's most iconic TV dramas, including Fat Friends, Band of Gold, In the Club and The Syndicate. Kay kept her family close - eldest daughter Yvonne produced many of her dramas, and actor and scriptwriter Gaynor often acted in and wrote episodes of Kay's shows, as well as starring in lots of others including Coronation Street, Dani's House, Emmerdale and, most recently, Channel 5's The Inheritance.