Helen sick of nice girl roles? - Dec 10 2007
Despite her parts in two hugely successful cult series, it appears that Helen Baxendale still has some gripes about her roles.

According to the Daily Express, the actress is fed up with playing the 'nice girl' and apparently told The Stage that she had trouble understanding the characters.

"Cold Feet I found hard to be honest," the 38-year-old is quoted as saying. "I don't think I ever really got to grips with what my character was.

"She was described as 'the ideal girlfriend' and it was just so lacking in anything. I never really felt at ease with that character. But I kept with the series - I'm not stupid."

And, talking about the iconic American show Friends - in which Rachel appeared as Ross's English girlfriend Emily - the actress moaned: "Emily started out as quite a well-formed character and then I think they were confused as to what they wanted to do with the actual series."

Now it seems Helen has a craving for the meatier roles.

She revealed: "I was really confused as to what I wanted to do. And I got told I had to be a nice girl like in Cold Feet - which is just arrgh!"

Work’s a ’break’ for Helen - Dec 29 2006
Cold Feet actress Helen Baxendale has admitted that going back to work was "like a break".

The mum-of-three, who stars in New Year’s Day black comedy Dead Clever, smiles: "It was lovely going back to work, it felt like a break to be honest.

"My mum came with me, and it’s wonderful to have your mum looking after your child. It was a bit of a break from the mundane routine of constant childcare."

It’s been three years since the actress was seen regularly on our screens and for a while it looked like she had been put off acting for good.

She retreated from the limelight and her work to spend time with her family - husband David Elliot, an American actor, and their children Nell, eight, and five-year-old Eric. She gave birth to the couple’s third child, Vincent, in June.

So what does 2007 hold for the pretty star?

"I haven’t got anything lined up at the moment," she says. "I like to have some time off after doing a job and spend some time with my family.

"Each job I do is a bit of a logistical nightmare because of the kids, so I always feel like I need a good rest afterwards. But I am ready to do something else," she grins.

Cold Feet for acting - 19/02/03
Cold Feet star and Hackney resident Helen Baxendale has said she would quit acting to devote more time to her family.



After recently filming the last ever series of Cold Feet, Baxendale has said that being an actress keeps her away from home and the two children Eric, 18 months, and Nell, four, she has by her partner, producer David Elliot.

"I really don’t feel much of a pull to go back to work," she told Now magazine. "It’s a difficult one because I don’t want to end up with no career. I just don’t know."

The final series of Cold Feet begins on ITV1 on February 23.

Helen Baxendale was born in Staffordshire in 1970. Helen wanted to be either an archeologist or a ballet dancer. She trained as an athlete but later became an actress.

She attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before landing her first major part in the TV series ’Cardiac Arrest’. Her career has snowballed since then and she is becoming one of the most sought after actresses on TV.