Caroline Aherne on leaving the public eye: ‘Celebrity is just a game’
'I’ve decided I’m no good at it'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Caroline Aherne co-created and starred in one of the most popular British comedies in the 1990s.
Before that, she managed to persuade a number of famous figures to appear on her chatshow and be grilled by her middle-aged persona, Mrs Merton, with Debbie McGee being handed one of her most excruciating questions.
The Royle Family actress and co-creator died in her Manchester home earlier today from lung cancer. She was 52.
But unlike most people of such a high profile, the Bafta-winning actress struggled with bouts of depression, binge drinking and was uncomfortable with her celebrity status.
She retreated from public life in 2001 and announced her decision to leave the TV industry after becoming jaded with the fame game. A move back to Manchester to be close to her family followed and Aherne’s name rarely ventured into newspapers or magazines after that.
Her reasons for leaving the public eye were simple but apt.
"Celebrity is just a game," she told The Mirror at the time. "It’s a fascinating game and loads of people love playing it. But I can’t be arsed playing it anymore because I’ve decided I’m no good at it."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments