Silent Witness star Emilia Fox 'thinking about end of life' and major challenge

Daily Mirror

5 hours ago

Silent Witness star Emilia Fox talks about parenting, perfect days and planning for the future - and explains why working on the show for 21 years has changed her views on life and death
She's played Dr Nikki Alexander in BBC drama Silent Witness for the past 21 years, but it's clear Emilia Fox still loves her 'dream role', which she says fits in comfortably with her role as mother to 14-year-old Rose, her daughter from her relationship with actor and director Jeremy Gilley.
The London-born actress – who is the daughter of actors Edward Fox and Joanna David – has been in a relationship with TV production company boss Jonathan Stadlen, 44, for the last four years. She turns 51 next month, but says she wasn't remotely fazed by her milestone birthday last year. 'I'm really, really in a happy place now, and feeling enjoyably busy in a full life,' she beams.
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Here, the unflinchingly positive star discusses the joys of bonding with her teenage daughter and reveals what makes her perfect weekend…
You turned 50 last year. Did that feel daunting?
When I turned 40, people asked how I felt, but I think I was so busy that I didn't really stop to think about it. Turning 50, I like the feeling of stopping to think about it and also being able to acknowledge all of life's experiences so far – the twists and turns.
It's often said that there are fewer opportunities for actresses as they get older. Would you agree?
For a different generation, this was a very hard time. I saw it with my mum where, as women got older, they were getting fewer and fewer parts but, in fact, the writing today is embracing women of all ages, so it's an exciting time to be part of this profession.
You've worked virtually non-stop since your daughter, Rose, was born. Has that been tricky to balance?
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I'm so lucky that I've been able to work and look after Rose. Being able to be there for her has been massively important. Silent Witness used to be filmed around the corner from me and they were very conscious of how much I wanted to be a present mother, so they made it work so I could be home at a normal time.
Rose is now 14. How are you coping with parenting a teenager?
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We've got a good, close relationship and I just really want to be alongside her. I think teenagers need you in very different ways. They need guidance and advice about school life and friends and relationships. So I'm very happy to be alongside her for that.
You come from an acting dynasty. Do you think Rose might follow you into the industry?
My mum and dad never encouraged me to be an actor. In fact it was the opposite. They knew I'd seen the profession without the rose-tinted spectacles on – I'd seen the highs and the lows. What I want to do for Rose is for her to feel that she's been given the broadest possible horizons. I was very lucky – I was waitressing and I got the chance to audition for Pride and Prejudice. I sort of fell into the job and I didn't really think about it. But I would like her to look at it and go, 'What do I want to do in my life? What are the opportunities and the choices?' I didn't really think about the choices until now – and I'm 50.
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There's been a running theme of crime throughout your career. Are you as fascinated by it as your audiences are?
I was a voracious reader as a child and I was brought up on the mysteries of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. That evolved into things like Inspector Morse on TV. It's the mystery of the crime genre I love, and when I got offered Silent Witness, it was the dream role.
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You've been working on the Channel 4 documentary series In The Footsteps Of Killers since 2021. Is there a big difference between playing Dr Nikki Alexander and looking at real-life crimes?
There's a massive difference. In Silent Witness, we wrap up a story in two hours and there's a conclusion. In The Footsteps Of Killers , which I do with the brilliant and fascinating criminologist Professor David Wilson, is about cold cases, because it's so hard to keep the spotlight on them, and the hope is that someone might come forward. There are bereaved families who have lost loved ones and don't have the answers. It's utterly heartbreaking for them.
Switching off from such gritty work must be hard. What does your perfect weekend look like?
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When I'm working I like getting up early, around 5am, because it's a good time to learn my lines. The days are just packed, so it gives me that quiet time to have a coffee, which I love – maybe too much – and to get on top of things before the day's started. But my perfect weekend would be Rose being here and going to a market, picking up some food and bringing it home.
We also have two Daschunds, Dolly and Clive, who are very much part of family life, and Rose and I are loving going to the theatre together at the moment. It's a real revelation that we can go to the same shows. We have so much fun, so going to a matinee show would be great, then supper with friends and an early night. The really simple things in life are the things I love the most.
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Tell us about the pension campaign you're involved in. As a nation, we're not very good at talking openly about money, are we?
I learnt that only one in three people in their fifties is getting pension advice, so I want to help turn the topic into a positive message. Turning 50 is like entering a sort of Renaissance period. We aren't slowing down, we're still busy and we still want to enjoy life. I got to 50 and there was a sudden moment of clarity, thinking, 'OK, that was the first half of my life – what do I want the second half to look like?' And, of course, there's an element of financial planning in there.
What do you hope the next few years will bring?
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The main things are to spend time with Rose, keep working, be with my mum and dad as they get older, and also to learn something new and set myself some sort of fitness challenge – like the Appalachian Trail.
It's all the things I love in life. My dad is 88, and working on Silent Witness makes you think about life – the living of it and also the end of it, which, hopefully for my dad, is far off. But I really do feel these are precious years. I'd also like to learn more about my passions, to learn more about flowers and horticulture. Oh, and learn to cook properly!
* Emilia Fox is working with My Pension Expert to get one million more Brits seeking financial advice by 2030