Hello! Magazine UK – 12 August 2019

TheGirlontheTrainis at theDukeof York’sTheatreuntil

17 AugustandtourstheUKuntil 23 November.Formoreinfo

and to book,visitgirlonthetrainplay.com.

REPORTS: EMILY HORAN. SALLY MORGAN. PHOTOS: BACKGRID. HELEN MAYBANKS. ITV. REX FEATURES

CULTURE

INTERVIEW:EMILYHORAN

DON’T MISS

THIS WEEK...

TELEVISION

LONG LOST FAMILY:

WHAT HAPPENEDNEXT

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OnITV1onMondaysat 9pm.

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FRIENDSFESTIVE

Couldthisbeanymore

exciting?FriendsFest– a

celebrationofthe1990sshow–

comestotheTrumanBrewery,

Londonfora winter

spectacular.VisittheHoliday

Armadillogrotto(left),the

gang’sapartmentsandCentral

Perktoenjoyfoodanddrink.

From 28 November-21December.

Visitfriendsfestive.co.uk.

FILMFAST & FURIOUS

PRESENTS:

HOBBS& SHAW

EnemiesLukeHobbs(Dwayne

Johnson,right)andDeckardShaw

(JasonStatham,farright)forman

unlikelypartnershipwhena rogue

MI6agentthreatenshumanity.

Idris ElbaandVanessaKirbyalso

star inthisFast&Furiousspin-off.

InUKcinemasfrom1 August.

THEATRE

THE GRUFFALO

The musical adaptation of

favourite children’s book The

Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson,

visits the West End for the

summer before continuing its

UK tour. Guaranteed songs,

laughs and monstrous fun for

children aged three and up.

At the Lyric Theatre until 8

September. Visit gruffalolive.com.

“There’s a lot of stress and it’s like having a huge

argument every night. You scream and shout and your

body isn’t completely convinced it’s not real.

“At the beginning I was naïve and thought I could just

shake it off. I’d go out for a couple of drinks after shows and

socialise. Then three months in, I realised I was really

lacking in energy. I knew that I needed to start taking

more care of myself. Now, I spend about half an hour in

my dressing room after a show to ‘land’. I’m not

burning the candle at both ends.”

SCHOOL OF LIFE

Samantha, who is mum to Benjamin, 18, and 14-year-old

Lili-Rose – her children with her husband, fellow actor

Mark – also has her family with her while on tour.

“I turn my dressing room into a mini home. I try to

fill it with the kids and my animals; it’s a nice vibe. It really

helps ground me,” says Samantha, whose various pets

include ponies, two rescue dogs and a rescue cat.

Having recently decided to home-school her

daughter Lili, Samantha is only too pleased to spend

quality time with her in between shows.

“Lili is really into theatre and she helps me learn my

lines,” says the doting mum.

“She does her academic lessons online, then we do

an art gallery or some photography in the afternoon. Lili

is amazing – she even teaches me things. She has been

allowed to get creative and do the things she loves

because she’s not knackered all the time since stopping

the rigour of traditional schooling.”

Life on tour has been “great” for the Womack clan,

but Samantha is looking forward to regaining some

normality at the end of the year. “You’re not part of the

normal world, you’re in this weird little bubble.

“Mark and I even forgot our tenth wedding anniversary

earlier this year – can you believe it?,” says Samantha, who

married her Liverpool 1 co-star at Claridge’s hotel in 2009.

“We’ll take the kids away in December or January and

chill out for a couple of months. Benjamin has just finished

his A-levels and is now taking a gap year, so I’m making the

most of this time as a family – not that he’s going to want to

do anything with me,” adds Samantha. “But I can try.

“We need a break – we’ve all been working really hard

this year.”

Samantha says her husband actor Mark (above) and teenage

children Benjamin and Lili-Rose keep her grounded while she

stars as Rachel in thriller The Girl on the Train (far left) with

Oliver Farnworth and Kirsty Oswald as Scott and Megan