Panto-time

Suzanne Shaw as Snow White

Suzanne's Shaw looking forward to panto!

If Suzanne Shaw was looking to lose the ex-Hear'Say tag, she probably didn't want to replace it with the label of being an ex-fiancee of Darren Day!

But, just as she bounced back from the much publicised Hear'Say split, she has overcome this year's equally high profile relationship problems, is enjoying motherhood with baby Corey, and getting back to what she knows best.

The girl who beat off over 3,000 hopefuls to win a place in the TV talent show band which soon had the fastest selling debut single ever, is back in the studio recording an album and preparing to star as Snow White on stage at the Milton Keynes Theatre in this year's panto together with a dream line-up of Richard O'Brien, Toyah Wilcox and Warwick Davies.

Since Hear'Say finished, Suzanne has been keen to prove her all-round talent and has starred in musical theatre including Summer Holiday and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

But what many won’t know is that she is also theatrically trained. Having attended the respected Oldham Theatre College, she went onto play Helen Watson in the CBBC series ‘Elidor’ and when still a teenager appeared in ‘City Central’ and ‘Holby City’.

She also toured as part of an ABBA tribute band before the TV show Popstars changed her life, but this is her first panto!

She told us why she decided to take it on this time, how she copes with being a working mother and how she has learned who to trust.

This is your first panto isn't it?

Suzanne: Yes, that's right, it's my first time this year. I decided to do pantomime this year purely because I got offered quite a few pantomimes and I turned them all down, but when this one came along it was kind of too good to be true - the line-up and the fact that it was more traditional and it had more of a Christmas feel.

Suzanne with Toyah Wilcox

To be honest, I want to actually enjoy Christmas, not to be sat there thinking it's something I don't want to do and this is something I really wanted to do.

I'm really looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to my little boy having his first birthday around Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - it's just a little fairy tale for him. I think it's really cool.

It's a great theme for a first birthday party isn't it?

Suzanne: Yes - the birthday party is going to be at the theatre and it's going to be the perfect first birthday party. I can't wait to tell him when he's older, that this is what your first birthday party was!

Was it difficult to decide to work over the holiday period, given that this is his first Christmas?

Suzanne: Yes - that's why I had to think long and hard about whether to take pantomime and if I did it had to be the right one for personal reasons because it IS my son's first birthday.

But the greatest thing is that it's half an hour up the road from where I live, and there's no communing or having to find digs so this is absolutely ideal. He'll be coming to the theatre with me most days anyway, so I couldn't wish for it to be any better.

It sounds ideal. Is there anything you're not looking forward to or anything that's a bit daunting?

Suzanne: The challenge is two shows a day! It's the first time I'm going to be doing something like this.

Toyah hit the nail on the head when she said that while lot of people say they're not going to do panto because it's not the credible thing to do, it's actually the most challenging thing to do.

You have to have talent, you have to have stamina and you have to be able to pull yourself together everyday and get on that stage because it's hard work and that's what I'm looking forward to. I love working, I love having the challenge of new jobs. I love crossing that hurdle of doing something that I didn't think I would ever have done.

It will be such hard work - especially being a mother as well - but I'm looking forward to the challenge - and shedding the pounds!

It's a brilliant line up isn't it?

Suzanne: Yes it's fantastic - I'm really proud to be in this pantomime, really proud - the line-up's just incredible. I'm like can I have your autograph!

You seem to have taken to motherhood very well?

Suzanne: Yes it's great, I love it.

You look incredible. How have you done that?

Suzanne: Thank you! I don't know! I have sleepless nights and he keeps me going all day long! But luckily I've got my step sister who's my nanny who lives with me and helps me out all the time so I couldn't wish for it to be any better really.

You're getting quite well established in musical theatre now - is that where you see yourself going?

Suzanne: It's something I really enjoy doing. I am back in the studio recording music but my ultimate ambition is television and film acting. That's where I started and hopefully one day I'd like to return to that. 

The cast of Milton Keynes panto 2005

But I like going into the studio, I like being on stage and I like being on the telly. I like everything. I like to do it all!

The British don't really accept that you can do everything, it's a bit unknown to be able to do that here, whereas in America if you're an all rounder then they put their hands together and are proud of their people for being like that.

So, I'm trying to find my way and settle for one aspect. I'm just trying a few things out at the moment and then I'll make my mind up where I want to stay - what I'm actually successful in I think!

So you're in the studio at the moment?

Suzanne: Yes - I'm recording an album at the moment and I've got a couple of record labels really interested and we're looking to release after the pantomime.

You won't be singing a new track during the panto then?

Suzanne: Maybe during a dodgy matinee when I can get away with it! But I don't think they'll let me!

Are they putting any Hear'Say songs in?

Suzanne: No - but I think they're putting some Hear'Say jibes in - there's got to be really!

I saw Noel in the musical Love Shack recently and thought he was amazing? Do you still keep up with the other Hear'Say members?

Suzanne: He's a talented boy is Noel! Yes - he came to visit me last week and saw little Corey and I speak to Myleen all the time. I talk to Myleen like five times a day, but the rest of us, we kind of catch up every now and again when we're not busy, and I speak to Kym.

Do you remember the experience fondly?

Suzanne: Oh absolutely. I do find it a hell of a shame that we can't all sit in a room together, especially with the fact that I've got a little boy now and Kym's got her kids and we could all sit down and laugh about the old times. It's such a shame. I hope one day we can do that. Life's too short to hold grudges for different reasons so I'm hoping one day we can all sit in a room.

But it's done you a lot of good as well?

Suzanne: Absolutely! I've blown all my money from it but I enjoyed while I had it!

You get a lot of press attention - and I don't want to rake all that up - but how do you deal with it?

Suzanne: To be honest it comes as part of the job. You can't complain about it because one day you'll look out of the window and it won't be there and as a performer you do crave the attention of being talked about.

Suzanne Shaw in Summer Holiday

You hate it when it's bad but you love it when it's good, but you can't have the good all the time, you've got to accept the bad.

It's annoying and you get frustrated at times when they take the mickey out of the decisions you make and make you feel talentless and like you're not doing very well in your career.

But at the end of the day the reason I get so angry is that I'm just trying to be happy and make a living for my family and that's what it's about.

You've got to survive, I've still got a mortgage to pay, I'm not a millionaire and I have to work and I resent anybody who tells me that the decisions I make are because I'm a "has-been". That's not the case at all, I'm working every day of my life and if I am a "has-been" then so what?

What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever read about yourself?

Suzanne: My family got a phone call saying that I'd committed suicide. Someone had put it on a news Web site - I think that's the weirdest thing I've ever read about myself.

That's awful. How did that affect your family?

Suzanne: Luckily I got to speak to my mum before she saw it but the guy I was going out with at the time, I didn't get to speak to and he got a phone call saying "how do you feel about the fact your girlfriend has committed suicide?" and he was like "WHAT?" and made loads of phone calls to me!

You find strange things like that happen and it's hard for it not to affect your life because it does. But if you've got a good strong head on your shoulders you can see past it and if you're content enough and you've got a lot of good people around you, you can get over it easily.

Do you just not read it any more?

Suzanne: I don't take it personally - well I saying that I do take it personally! It's hard because I still open the paper.

They had a "diss" at me the other day and I sat there for the rest of the day going "why would they do that?" but luckily I've got enough support around me to say "ignore it.

Then I give it a couple of hours and I think, "yeah I'm taking it too seriously". At the end of the day I'm a kid who won a talent competition, and I'm enjoying life.

And you've been successful so you've got the last laugh!

Suzanne: Absolutely!

What always amazes me is that you see on the front of a magazine that there's an exclusive with you and it turns out to be someone who's known you for five seconds!

Suzanne: Yes it says "a close friend says" and I think who's that?!

But you know who you can trust now?

Suzanne: Absolutely - it's taken me quite a few years to find out and only this time round have I realised who my friends are and who are the people I can trust. It's taken me a long time to find my friends and the friends I've got are solid and they're here to stay.

But you're happy at the moment?

Suzanne: Yeah I'm great - I'm good!