Stardom, Corrie & Her Man

Faye is a girl in demand right now.

If you've been lucky enough to see her in theatre, you'll know she's always been destined for greatness but despite her undoubted talent she has in the main managed to stay under the radar.

Until now that is.

It seems after just one episode of Corrie she's a household name with photoshoots, interviews, TV appearances and countless tweets from new fans.

In the lovely interview below Faye discusses her new found stardom and how she and Gareth make sure they have quality time together despite their hectic schedules.

Faye Brookes says boyfriend Gareth Gates is happy to share the limelight

Whenever Faye Brookes walks down the red carpet it’s always her boyfriend Gareth Gates who gets the attention. 

But all that is about to change, because this week Faye made her debut as the newest member of the Connor clan in Coronation Street.

And Faye says her Pop Idol boyfriend can’t wait for her to have her own moment in the limelight.

She reveals: “Gareth is so proud of me. He knows how hard I have worked to get here. He is so supportive and wants me to be the best version of who I am. He would love to be on my arm walking me down the red carpet with me in the limelight. He wants that for me - he really does.

“But it is hard in this industry. Once you are up there - and he has watched it happen and people have done it to him- it is a whirlwind and you just go with it.

“Go with the punches, ride the highs and lows. That is what we have got to do.”

The couple met in 2012 when musical theatre star Faye played leading lady Elle Woods in Legally Blonde the Musical and Gareth played her boyfriend, Warner.

Following their stint on the show, Gareth split from his wife of 10 years Suzanne Mole, mother of his daughter Missy. Ten months later Faye, 28, and Gareth, 31, made their first public appearance together.

Faye says now: “Life is for living and we are all about being spontaneous and going with it. It is so nice he wants me to enjoy this and to establish myself.

“From the moment I met him he was writing songs for me... it’s beautiful.

Our relationship is like no other, but I do need to keep us well protected. “Because sometimes when people know how good something is, all they want to do is pull it apart and that can be hard to take.

“I know that is not what someone’s intention is, and when you see something good it has got to come with some bad things along the way. I am in it with him for the journey, and he is in it with me. And I think it is really nice that he wants me to blossom.”

Although Faye’s Monday night debut as Kate Connnor may have been her introduction to Corrie viewers, she is already a big name to fans of musical theatre.

As well as taking over the lead in Legally Blonde from Sheridan Smith, she also starred as Princess Fiona in Shrek. But the multi-talented actress says dancing and singing did not come naturally to her and she’s had to work hard to succeed. Now being in Corrie is a new peak.

“Life changed for me completely when I got this role,” she says. “I am from Manchester, so this was a really big deal for my family. They think I have made it now I’ve got Corrie.

“Forget the theatre, forget all the hard work I did training for that.... I always wanted to go into TV. The fact that I have been given this opportunity to go into this massive soap which has got such an amazing ­reputation is unbelievable.

“I have grown up with Corrie. We still watch it now while we’re having tea. And having Ali King and Kym Marsh with me is amazing. It is like having two older sisters. From the first day they just took me under their wing. They just call me ‘little one’. We get on like a house on fire. Everyone is so genuinely lovely and happy to be here.”

And Faye thinks her character Kate, lesbian sister of Aidan (Shayne Ward), will shake things up on the cobbles. 

“She is so much fun- she is literally coming into Weatherfield as this hothead,” she says.

“She is a Connor, so she has got this full competitive streak in her. She is so unpredictable, she is a little bit cheeky, she is mischievous, so Coronation Street is definitely in for a bit of fun.

“She goes in there all guns blazing.

I am not like that at all. She is a challenge and I love that about her - but I am not up for a scrap. I go home worrying about what people think of me. I am a bit of a worrier and she is not.”

In a few weeks’ time viewers will also be introduced to Faye’s girlfriend Caz, played by Rhea Bailey.
“It is quite an intense relationship,” Faye explains. “Caz is in the Army so she is away a lot, so when they are together Kate literally can’t let her go.

“I think it is a relationship that nobody has really seen before in Corrie, this Army relationship. It’s a whirlwind. Caz is in charge and putting pressure on Kate, but Kate just goes with it because she adores her.”

Back in real life, Faye and Gareth have been together for three years now.

They share a London flat, though with Faye filming in Manchester and Gareth touring in Mad About the Musicals, they are often apart.

It’s clear they are besotted with each other, and absence seems to make their hearts grow fonder.

“We are used to living out of a suitcase and making time to see each other,” says Faye. “He is very sweet at surprising me and keeping that romance alive. I have lost count of the romantic things he has done.

Recently I came home after not seeing him for a week and my boots had been broken. There was a big box on the table and he had written a message on the front to me. It said, ‘I am here to fix anything, let’s start with your shoes’, and my mended boots were inside.

Gareth is pulling out all the stops to make sure Faye enjoys her new stardom. On Monday - her first day on screen - he picked her up from shooting with a car full of balloons, a message saying “Happy TX Date” and a romantic picnic.

“I think he’s a keeper”, jokes Faye. “He’s really making the effort to celebrate my success. It’s taken me so long to get here!”

Faye has no theatrical background at all. Her dad Carl Barber works on the oil rigs and mum Inger is a holistic therapist. Her three siblings work in retail and education.

But she always knew she wanted to perform.

“My mum and dad would come home and I would be forcing my little brother to do shows, dressing him up,” she recalls with a laugh. “They loved that I was so expressive, outgoing and confident. I was tone-deaf but they encouraged me to go off and do what I wanted to do. They were like, ‘Maybe you need to go and get some lessons’ in the nicest possible way.”

Faye explains: “I wasn’t naturally gifted. With tap, for example, I was always the last one in the bottom of the set and I had to work my way up.

But I would be the last one in the room until dawn.

“That was me - I had to put my heart and soul into it. It wasn’t easy.”

She put herself through drama school, working on a make-up counter, as a barmaid and teaching dance and drama to support herself.

Now her big TV dream has come true, and though she knows nothing can fully prepare her for the attention that comes with Coronation Street, Gareth is a fund of good advice. He has been in the spotlight for 13 years since he was runner-up on 2002’s Pop Idol at the age of 16.

“He just wants me to find myself in this whole new life, but at the same time it has got to be normal,” says Faye.

“I have asked him how he deals with it because he is so good. Everywhere we go, whether it be in this country or abroad - we have been in Venice and he has been asked for an autograph - he says yes to everybody with a smile and there is not one complaint.

“Because at the end of the day there is no room for ego. You just have to appreciate that fans are helping your reputation and helping you succeed in the world.

“So if you are nice to them and you smile and you are humble that is it - it paves the way for the future. That is the best advice he has given me.”

Faye adds: “At the same time you can’t worry what people think of you all the time - you wouldn’t live your life. You have just got to go with it and enjoy it.”