'I've watched Michelle grow and flourish, she's incredibly talented'

After presenting Michelle Keegan with a major award, actress Natalie Anderson pays tribute to her friend and co-star and shares her own career plans and love of podcasting

- SARAH-LOUISE ROBERTSON

Hot on the heels of working with Michelle Keegan in the Netflix hit Fool Me Once, actress Natalie Anderson has put together a list of professionals she’d love to work with next – and it includes a Hollywood superstar and a British national treasure.

In this exclusive chat with OK!, the 42-year-old star of ITV’s The Royal, who also played Alicia Metcalfe in Emmerdale, speaks about “the immense amount of pressure” that comes when filming something like Fool Me Once, one of the streaming service’s most-watched shows ever.

She discusses her bond with co-star Michelle, who she recently presented with a Variety Club Silver Heart award for Outstanding Achievement in Global Television and Streaming, shares her thoughts on a possible move across the pond and tells us why it’s “really important” for women to start talking more about perimenopause.

Natalie, do people ever mistake you and Michelle Keegan for each other? There are definite similarities...

I think Michelle and I are both very family-oriented women and that comes across in our backgrounds. I think that’s a lot of the similarity. I’m so proud of it. I feel like I did get a little bit emotional [presenting the award] because when you’ve seen somebody grow in the industry and really make their mark and make that step away and take on such huge challenges and succeed, it’s just wonderful to see. It makes me really proud.

Do you feel like a big sister to Michelle? 

I do in a way. And I don’t know whether it’s because we have had time working together and I’ve watched her grow and flourish. She’s incredibly talented, a really beautiful person, fantastic, down-to-earth, dedicated.