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Interviews With Sheree Murphy aka Tricia Dingle
EMMERDALE STAR ON WHY SHE'S LEAVING THE SOAP
From the Sunday Mirror
By Patrick Hill And Dennis Ellam
EVEN in the long history of colourful soap farewells, there has never been a departure more dramatic than this one. Out goes sultry Emmerdale star Sheree Murphy, buried in the collapsed ruins of the Woolpack pub.
A violent storm devastates the village on New Year's Eve - and the Woolpack's chimney comes crashing down on Sheree's character, the sexy reformed temptress Tricia.
Rescuers fight to release her from under tons of rubble. But there isn't much doubt about her fate - Sheree, 27, has already made it clear that she's leaving to spend more time in the real world with her soccer star husband Harry Kewell and their young children. "It was always going to be a tough decision, but I'm sure it's the right one," she says.
"When I had to make the choice between family and work, it had to be family first."
Her final scenes will be a poignant tear-jerker of an exit. And all the more so because the catastrophe strikes just as Tricia is about to try to repair her fractured marriage to wayward Marlon.
She's leaving home on New Year's Eve, bags in hand, after he has confessed to a brief fling with his frisky cousin, Charity.
Then in her pocket she discovers a letter from him, begging her forgiveness and listing "101 reasons why I love you..."
But as Tricia turns around to give him one more chance fate steps in as she tries to fight her way through the lashing storm back to Marlon.
The scenes are some of the most complex ever filmed for a TV soap, and massive wind machines had to be custom-built to provide gales strong enough to rock the sturdy stones of the Woolpack.
Even now, Sheree shivers at the memory.
"I had to spend more than eight hours lying 'buried' in the rubble while the shooting went on all night," she recalls. "It was very cold and very wet.
"But in the end it looks so fantastically dramatic.
"At least I can always say that I went out of Emmerdale with a bang - literally!"
All isn't lost for Sheree's admiring fans. One day, she says, she would like to make a comeback and resume her acting career if an attractive offer came along.
But for the moment, there are other concerns on her mind...husband Harry, the Aussie soccer ace now playing for Liverpool, and their children, two-year-old Taylor and baby Ruby, born six months ago.
It took no time at all after Ruby's arrival for Sheree to regain her stunning figure.
But the changes to her life were going to be impossible to avoid, she realised. "The birth of Ruby made up my mind for me," she says. "I just felt that leaving Emmerdale now was the best thing to do for all of us.
"It's very difficult being a mother and still maintaining a career as an actress in a soap.
"I decided that it's more important for me to be a good wife and mother than to pursue my career right now.
"The children are so demanding, and I want to be around for them. I think that having a second child really brings the responsibility home to you, and the size of the job you have to do.
"I'm lucky because Harry is so supportive. He's a fantastic dad.
"But the other night, for instance, we were up for ages with the kids who were crying and restless, and we were trying to get them back to sleep by laying them both on our bed all night.
"Harry just looked at me and said, 'How do we do this?' We weren't getting any rest, and honestly we are a couple who love our sleep.
"So it's hard, it's demanding, and both of us want to be very much hands-on parents.
"The sensible decision was the obvious one. It had to be goodbye to Emmerdale so I could concentrate on this new job in our life.
"Like most parents, we're learning as we go along. It doesn't matter what anyone tries to tell you about raising children or looking after babies nothing teaches you like your own experiences.
"And it's so rewarding. I love being a mum. We don't ever want a nanny, or even babysitters - we want to be there all the time with our kids, doing it all for ourselves."
It was six years ago that Tricia, leggy granddaughter of Alan Turner, first arrived in Emmerdale. Since then, Sheree's career has soared, from being a wide-eyed TV newcomer to an established celeb, a favourite pin-up in the lads mags and one of the most glamorous stars of any soap.
It was only through her fame in Emmerdale, she agrees, that she met 25-year-old Harry, who was then playing for Leeds United, four years ago. They married in Las Vegas last May, and they managed to keep the wedding low-profile.
But even so, they are a celebrity couple...a showbiz star married to a handsome footballer.
Inevitably, they have been compared to Posh and Becks - and Sheree shrugs off the suggestion with a laugh.
For one thing, they have never aspired to be global stars. They have even opted to live in the same house in Yorkshire where they first set up home, even after Harry's move to Liverpool. "I see Posh and Becks, and we are such different people," Sheree says.
"Our lifestyle is nothing like theirs. They can't go anywhere at any time without being photographed, but we're not like that at all.
"I go to see Harry play whenever I can and that's great, but we try to enjoy as normal a life as possible.
"We still have old friends around, like some of the Leeds United guys, but we don't live the high life.
"I suppose some people would call us boring - but actually Harry and I are quite happy simply staying home.
"A quiet night in, having a meal and watching telly - it's hardly glamorous, I know, but we love it!"
So if the fame has to be put on hold for a while, Sheree isn't going to miss it. But she admits she will always fondly remember her times at Emmerdale, for the success it brought her in her private life as well as her career.
"The last six years I spent in the show have simply been fantastic," she says.
"I've had a great time, and yes I admit it, I enjoyed the fame. I also met the love of my life and had two wonderful children."
Of course, it's as well to be philosophical. Because one thing's for sure - when the Woolpack chimney has toppled on to Tricia, there won't be any coming back.
Manchester Evening News.
Telly talk: It's vintage Sheree
SHEREE Murphy may have decided to quit Emmerdale after five years,
but her loudmouth character, Tricia Dingle, won't be leaving without
a fuss.
A Christmas Day episode will see the barmaid and her dippy husband,
Marlon, hold a summit in a bid to save their marriage, shattered by
his confession that he's had an affair.
Tricia will then find herself at the centre of one of the most
spectacular disasters to hit Emmerdale since the plane crash 10
years ago.
In a New Year's Eve special, she is left pinned beneath a pile of
fallen rubble after a huge storm devastates the Yorkshire village.
Whether Tricia survives or not is in the lap of the gods.
While Sheree, 28, is sorry to be leaving the hit soap, she had a
wonderful time filming some of her final scenes.
"It's been great fun because it's been so different to the normal
stuff we do in Emmerdale," she says of the storm storyline.
"They've got all these special effects. There's lots of rain and
wind. It's like being on a film set, but really great fun even
though the hours have been long and I've been soaked to the bone."
Those long hours away from her Liverpool footballer husband, Harry
Kewell, and their two-year-old son, Taylor, and baby daughter, Ruby,
are the main reasons Sheree is leaving , so she can take some time
off and enjoy being a mum.
A successful soccer player and his glamorous celebrity wife are the
stuff tabloid dreams are made of. And with David and Victoria
Beckham now based in Spain, some editors looking for a suitable UK-
based replacement have labelled Sheree and her husband the new Posh
and Becks.
Pressure
"I just think it's stupid, really, because we're so not like them,"
she sighs. "They've done lots of stuff together press-wise and we
haven't. That's the way Harry likes it to be and I'm happy with that
as well. The pressure on that couple is hideous. I wouldn't like to
live my life like that. I'm quite happy with the way we are.
"Harry may be a pretty big star here, but in his Australian
homeland, he's a media icon. "I was quite surprised. I mean, I've
never been over there. Every time he goes back I've been working but
my friends who have been say: 'My God, he's huge!'
"He's the face of Pepsi over there, so he's on billboards and buses,
so I suppose he is what David Beckham is over here but on a smaller
scale. Harry's quite happy to deal with stuff like that because he
doesn't live there. I don't think he would like it over there
because it's too in- your-face. Also, they're very proud of him in
Australia, which I think is great. But he's happy to be on
billboards and buses over there, because he doesn't see it."
Sheree may have a dream job and family, but in May her idyllic world
was turned upside down when her father, Tony, died suddenly.
Naturally, she's still coming to terms with the loss.
"It's been hard as a family, but we've all pulled together and
Harry's been fantastic. After it happened, I had the baby to look
forward to. So we all focused on Ruby being born. Then reality
kicked in a bit more. It's harder for my mum and little brother down
south.
"They were with dad every day. For me being up here, I saw dad once
a month. It's still not sunk in for me really. I still feel like:
`Oh, when I go home he'll be there.'
"It's only been six months since he died and Christmas is coming, so
that's going to be hard."
For now, she's looking to the future and life after Emmerdale. And
she doesn't rule out the chance of more kids. "I'd love another two -
but I'll have a bit of a rest first."
Interview from 2002:
Just as the events of Carlos and Nicola's wedding unfolded, an old face sliped unnoticed back into Emmerdale. Just what Tricia has been up to since we last saw her in April remains to be seen, but off-screen Sheree Murphy has returned to the show with a new role tucked under her belt. Sheree gave birth to her first son Taylor back in May and together with footballer boyfriend, Leeds United's Harry Kewell, she has embraced the wonders of parenthood.
"I love being a mum" she enthuses."Really love it. But it is so hard because Harry and I are both working and I've been really busy since returning to Emmerdale. So my mum, bless her, has been our nanny. But having Taylor is so rewarding- he's such a little gem.
"Its quite sweet because Taylor looks like a mini version of Harry. Its lovely watching him do something different every day.
As well as Taylor's developments, Sheree has also kept her eye on the lastest goings on in Emmerdale while she's been on maternity leave.
"I tuned into the show all the time while i was away. It's quite weird because i watched the new people so when i came back i felt i already knew them. I think the storylines have just got better and better."
But after being off-screen for so long did the prospect of being back on set make her nervous?
"Definitely it was like starting a new job. It was especially nerve racking because i was meeting all these new people but it was exciting too. Also i missed my friends Samantha Giles And Liz Estensen who play Bernice and Diane."
Sheree is soon to be joined in the show by a group of people who will have to get used to the reality of Fame when the winners of ITV1's Soapstars begin filming. So whats her take on the clamour of glamour?
"People want to be famous but when you get but when you get into the job its really hard work. There are lots of actors who have been to drama school and trained hard and are finding it hard to get work. So when they pick other people off the street you can't help but feel sorry for them. But it will be good for the show and the casting directors will pick the right people. Everyone is excited about it."
So a bright future beckons for the 24 year old from Islington, north London, with nothing blocking her path to happiness. Apart from the World Cup!
"Harry and I do plan to get married. But it all depends if Australia qualify for the WORLD CUP next year. Sad isn't it she jokes. If they do we will have to go straight to Japan after the football season ends here. So we can't set a date for the wedding yet. We'll definitely do it though- its just a case of when"
One things for sure. If just a smidgen of Sheree's good fortune in life rubs off on her alter ego, Tricia will be thrilled that she returned to Emmerdale to face the music.
Stella Eleftheriades
Inside Soap
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