Holby City star Lisa Faulkner speaks out on BBC decision to axe show

Holby City’s final scene as BBC show comes to an end

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Lisa Faulkner, 50, has spoken out about the BBC’s decision to end Holby City for good back in March, after 23 years on the air. The former Celebrity MasterChef winner, who is married to the show’s judge John Torode, 57, admitted she was “really sad” to see the soap get axed, in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk. 

Lisa played Victoria Merrick on the show from January 1999 to June 2001.

Victoria was a senior house officer who trained in cardiothoracic surgery and paediatrics at Holby City Hospital.

Two years after joining the show, Lisa’s character was stabbed to death in her own home by the father of a patient whose life she could not save.

The star appeared in 45 episodes of the show early on in her acting career, which meant it was a strange thing for the celebrity chef to hear it had been cancelled.

Speaking about when she heard the news, Lisa reflected: “Yeah, it was really sad. 

“I think it’s such a great show and, for me and my two best friends…

“You know, I met Angela (Griffin) and Nicola (Stephenson) on that show and we have been best friends ever since. 

“So to me, it’s been a really important show in my life,” she added.

Apart from her job as a TV chef, Lisa is also known for her previous roles on soaps such as Brookside, where she played Louise Hope, and EastEnders, where she played Fi Browning.

However, she’s also enjoyed some more recent roles, such as Murdoch Mysteries and BBC One’s The Girl Before.

Speaking about her future in the world of television, Lisa explained: “You know, it’s really nice to be going up for auditions again, playing small parts in nice dramas. 

“It’s just been fun doing the auditioning again and getting the jobs. I really love acting and I want to continue doing it. 

“It’s a different age and obviously I did have a few years off and I did EastEnders not long ago… But I think you just change as a person and I’ve been on screen since I was 19 years old, and I’m now 50.”

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Lisa met her husband John back in 2010 when she won Celebrity MasterChef, and since then the pair have gone on to co-present their own show, John and Lisa’s Weekend Kitchen, which launched on ITV in 2019.

Speaking about the transition from acting to cooking on TV, Lisa explained: “I’m very lucky to do both, and recently I’ve been doing some more acting as well.

“But I think we live in a world where – years and years ago, you only had one career and you didn’t stray off the path – but you can’t just have that one career anymore.

“Life doesn’t work like that – especially not as a 50-year-old woman in the acting game. There’s not lots of work and so I’ve actually been very lucky in that I love to cook, I really love it.

“So, after MasterChef, I decided – and I was offered some great parts but they weren’t hugely different to what I’d done – so I just thought, you know what, I’m just going to jump in and test myself and do something that scares me.

“It’s been so brilliant and I’ve loved it, but I also love being on set, so I hope I can continue doing both until I’m an old lady.”

Lisa spoke to Express.co.uk about her time on television as part of a wider interview about encouraging families to be more connected during meal times.

The star has teamed up with cracker company Carr’s to help create some tasty recipes that will hopefully spark conversations and deter families from looking at their phones during dinner.

Lisa’s series of ‘Sharing Plates’ are designed to encourage meaningful conversations around the dinner table.

These include a nostalgia-themed Coronation chicken dish, dressed Crab & Apple for holiday moments and double-handed snacks like barbecued steak & leek, which make it physically impossible for you to pick up your phone.

Revealing that two thirds of Brits use a phone during meals, Carr’s is encouraging the nation to enjoy more meaningful hosting moments, working with Lisa Faulkner to create recipes that help to eliminate distractions and encourage conversation with friends and family.

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