Known for playing fiery Bianca Jackson on EastEnders for more than 30 years, Patsy Palmer revealed before entering the famous house as the show launched last Monday that she couldn’t wait to showcase the ‘real her’ on Celebrity Big Brother. Insisting she’s nothing like her bad-tempered soap character, the mum-of-four exclusively tells OK! that we’re more likely to find her avoiding the drama in the house, rather than causing it.
“I think fans might think I’m quite feisty because of Bianca but I’m not really, I’m quite a calm person,” protests Patsy. “Even at work at EastEnders, people always say that I bring quite a nice sort of vibe.” But after playing Bianca on/off since 1993, Patsy’s keen to show people how different she is from her alter ego. “I’ve got my life together!” she laughs. “[Bianca] can’t get her life together. She’s in fight or flight. “I’m not in fight or flight. I’m not really zen, but I do like to try my best to follow that way of life, which is so different from the drama in her life!”
At the centre of some of EastEnders’ biggest storylines, from affairs to feuds and deaths, Bianca was most known for her screams of “Ricky!” at her former husband, played by Sid Owen, in one of the most iconic soap relationships ever. While Bianca loved a slanging match at the centre of Albert Square, Patsy couldn’t imagine anything worse. Not looking forward to the infamous arguments we’ve come to expect from CBB, she hopes this time round, the house will remain calm.
“I think we’re in a very different culture now,” she says. “I’d like to think that people have evolved to the point where if there was something bothering them, they could just have a conversation about it instead of screaming and shouting. I don’t know if it’s going to be like that. We can only be pushed so much.”
So if pushed, could we see a little bit of Bianca come creeping out? “I’m sure I don’t need Bianca to protect myself in there, she won’t come out,” Patsy says. “I feel like it’s not something I enjoy, arguing. “I come from east London, so I would say I brought a lot of observations of what east Londoners were, growing up, into Bianca. I don’t like it for myself. I don’t think it’s very good for you as you get older to be like that. If there’s conflict in the house, I’d back off. But if there’s a place for me to help, I will. If there’s not, I’m trying not to get involved.”
Patsy is one of 13 new housemates on this year’s series, including Oscar-nominated actor Mickey Rourke, Love Island ’s Chris Hughes and former MP Michael Fabricant. Others in the line-up include singer Chesney Hawkes and TV host Trisha Goddard, who are joined by Olympian Daley Thompson and TOWIE star Ella Rae Wise. At 52, and having lived abroad for more than a decade with stints as a DJ as well as acting, Patsy insists she is enjoying life more than ever and is inspired by the likes of an older British Hollywood star.
“I just feel like now I’m in my fifties, this is my time to be me, to be whatever I want. I look at someone like Helen Mirren and she’s so inspiring,” she says. “As I’ve got older, I do believe that it’s good to challenge yourself, and for people to see that and maybe even for your family and kids to see that.
“My perspective on life has changed about everything. I don’t tend to worry about all the crap that I worried about when I was in my twenties, thirties, and even forties. I think as soon as you hit 50 you just get a magic potion of, ‘We need to really make the most of this now!’ It’s wanting to enjoy every moment and not worry about all the crap that’s gone on in your life. It means nothing. It is gone.” Patsy says learning to embrace this mentality has been “liberating”.
“You wish that you had your mind in your thirties that you have in your fifties,” says Patsy. “It’s a bit sad really. Like all that time you spent hormonally raging around the world thinking you had to fix everything, and think about everything, and understand everything. All there is to understand is we’re here right now and going to do something fun.
“If I could give my younger self some advice, I’d tell her that all of the stuff you think is bad and all these big problems you think you’ve got are not that bad. You’re going to be alright. It’s not as bad as you think. “I have a lot of fun and also a lot of calm in my life now. It’s the best decade for me.”
Patsy made her latest EastEnders comeback in the 40th anniversary live episode in February. In the dramatic episode, she helped on-screen sister Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) give birth after a Queen Vic explosion. On her return, she says, “It feels like slipping on an old pair of slippers. I have a deep love for everybody there. Even if I’m not there, you’re always connected.” She admits that at times she’s wanted to shrug off the Bianca persona but has now come to embrace it.
“I’ve had times where I’ve gone, ‘Nope, don’t talk about EastEnders.’ I’m never going to get away from this character.” Patsy believes it stems from an industry problem with working-class women in TV. “I don’t think it’s EastEnders that doesn’t give you opportunities to do anything else,” she explains.
“I think we still have a problem in the industry with working-class actresses, not actors. The men seem to still go on to do other things. I’ve had many chats with people about this and it’s a true thing. It’s not that I’m bothered about it, I’ve had a good career. But it’s a shame it’s still a problem.”
Patsy – who is mum to actor Charley, who she shares with ex Alfie Rothwell, plus sons Fenton and Bertie and daughter Emilia, who she shares with husband Richard Merkell – has lived in LA for a decade. While her home is intact, much of her neighbourhood was badly damaged by the recent fires.
She says, “I think that even living out there gives you a perspective because it’s so beautiful. But now obviously it’s all been shattered because of the fires. Everything is burnt. My place was OK, but my neighbour’s house completely burned to the ground. It’s had a massive impact. People have lost everything and they probably still have mortgages, yet they have nothing. It’s heartbreaking.”
Despite the setback, Patsy was going into the house with a positive outlook. She adds, “I’ve been grateful for the life I’ve had. I’ve never been one of those people who go out and grab things, I wish I was. I’ve always been like, ‘If this job comes in, great.’ Then the rest of the time you’re at home with the kids. And having such a nice marriage… It’s just all of it really. I’m just grateful now in life that we’re all still here and everyone’s not gone completely off their heads! I just feel like now, in my fifties, this is my time to be me, to be whatever I want.”
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