Inside Emmerdale Andrea star's life – from school trauma to off-screen love life

Anna Nightingale’s character of Andrea Tate on Emmerdale has had to endure a nightmare mother-in-law in the form of Kim Tate.

So it’s a good thing the 30-year-old soap star’s real life is much less complicated than that of her on-screen character Andrea.

Anna was delighted when she bagged herself the role of “badass” Andrea on the rural ITV soap back in 2019, but she admits she soon began to doubt her acting ability while suffering from Imposter syndrome.

She told the Daily Star exclusively in 2019: “It’s always that little voice in your head that goes, ‘Are you sure you can do this?’ It’s imposter syndrome. A lot of actors have it.”

“As a person I’m a bit of a worrier, but I’ve got good people around me who told me I could do it. Plus, the Tate name started to seep into me and I was like, ‘I can do this!’”

However, before taking on village villain Kim Tate in Emmerdale, Anna shared she once endured a traumatic period of bullying at school.

Growing up in Manchester, Anna says she went to an all-girls high school and was bullied “horrifically”.

Opening up, she told Daily Star: “I was bullied horrifically at school. I had a frizzy perm, acne and glasses. I went to an all-girls school and did very well academically, but it was horrible,”

“I feel very passionately about girls supporting each other. No-one wins if you don’t. I got beaten up a couple of times, but I had one really good friend, and her and my mum helped keep my confidence.

“Sadly it’s something most people experience in some shape or form. I went off to the Brit School and never looked back.”

Soon enough though, Anna flew off to London aged 16 to attend the famous Brit School – joining the likes of superstar students such as Amy Winehouse, Adele and Jessie J.

On studying with her famous Brit School friends and her initial music career goals, Anna said: “Amy Winehouse was a couple of years above me, then there were Adele and Jessie J. We all really had to want it and work for it. I was lucky to go into theatre straight after, but I’d have been happy with a music career too.”

She joined the theatre circuit before appearing in Ashes to Ashes in 2009, alongside her Emmerdale co-star Dean Andrews who plays Will Taylor.

In her personal life, Anna is all loved up with her long-term partner Darren who she met over a decade ago through work, and shares her four-year-old daughter Autumn with.

She told Inside Soap: “He used to work in music, and we kind of just met through some mutual friends. We worked together for a year or so, and then one evening I think I probably had too many glasses of wine, and I declared my undying love for him.”

Anna joked that Darren would tell the story differently and she worried she had ruined their friendship, but luckily: “The feelings were reciprocated, and the rest is history.”

Hilariously, the pair’s young daughter tells her dad Darren when Anna is kissing other men on the TV.

She told Daily Star: “She has changed my life. My partner’s not an actor, but he gets it – although he still finds it weird watching me on TV,”

“Autumn was watching the other day and said, ‘Daddy, Mummy’s kissing someone else!’ It was brilliant.”

“And there have been times when she’ll be watching an episode and I’ll walk through the door and she says ‘Daddy, Mummy’s not on TV any more.’ It’s so cute.”

Mum Anna divides her time between her London home and family up in Manchester, when she films Emmerdale in Leeds.

Anna explained she felt blessed that she was able to spend more quality time with her partner and little girl in lockdown after filming was paused.

Speaking to Lorraine Kelly last June, Anna said: “It’s been amazing and I think the nicest thing about this, it’s just been such a god send having a little one during this time.

“There’s nothing like a young kid to just put everything in perspective and also just to brighten up your day. She’s amazing.”

Discussing her life on the Emmerdale set, Anna appears to love her time in the village, and she added: “It’s such a lovely place to work, everybody is so warm. There’s a really nice feeling of unity, more than ever.

“It’s been a humbling and bonding time, so coming back on set it feels like everyone is in it together, wants to help each other out and do their best.”

Anna’s character of Andrea made a shock return to the soap in September after leaving in June last year.

Andrea has also found herself in the middle of a dangerous and controversial dog killer plot on the storyline – after her dog Princess came close to being trapped in a boiling hot car.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk