Kym Marsh had just got back from South Africa when she invited OK! Into her house for
this interview. She’s looking freckled and brown and is sporting a pretty cropped bob.
The kettle is put straight on, tea is poured and she chats animatedly with her mum
Pauline about her dad David’s recent heart operation.
Her positive outlook on life is obvious. Kym, 28, is constantly laughing and joking despite
the recent stress of hospital visits and of being dropped by her record label. Instead she’
s pouring her energy into her forthcoming role in Saturday Night Fever and being a mum
to David, Nine and Emily, Five – and of course being a wife to actor Jack Ryder. Then
there’s the Lion-freeing project in South Africa…
We hear you’re about to tread the boards in the West End…
Yes. I’ve just been given the role of Annette in Saturday Night Fever. Opening night is July
2 and it goes on till January, so it’s a good six months. I’m mobbing on and I'm happier
going into theatre – its given me another string to me bow.
When do you start rehearsing?
I start rehearsals at the beginning of June, but first of all I’m going for some voice
coaching. Dialect coaching and acting lessons. Its no good just being able o sing – you
have to make sure your voice is strong, its eight shows a week so its really manic.
Do you miss mainstream pop?
To be honest with you, when I was in Hear’Say I did everything id always wanted to do as a
kid, but all in one year, so there wasn’t much further to go really. I’ve experienced a
number one, a tour, and being a solo artist, so it’s a chance to do something more
serious.
So are you glad to be out of the pop industry?
The music industry isn’t a great place to be at the moment – you have to work really hard
for very few single sales, particularly pop artists. I do miss it but I’m really looking forward
to doing something new like my new role in Saturday Night Fever.
Is there a reality TV curse?
Well, people who come from reality TV shows don’t seem to have much of a shelf life,
although having said that, Will Young is doing really well. LibertyX did well too, but they’re
the only ones I can think of. There’s no artist development these days, at the moment if
you are in the pop industry and your single isn’t top 20, you’re thinking, am I next? I don’t
want to live like that I have a family to support and I need a steady income.
How did you feel when the record company let you go?
I was absolutely gutted. My first single went to number two, I had another top ten hit
after that and my album went in at number nine. My last single didn’t do very well which
was really upsetting, especially after such a great start.
What did you do next?
I took a couple of months off, which I was glad of because my father wasn’t very well. I don’
t think I could of coped with that and work at the same time. It was nice to be able to do
normal things like make the kids’ lunches and take them to school and come home and do
some housework!
What’s Jack up to at the moment?
He had a small part in an ITV1 drama called MIT, which is on screen in September – he’s
really excited. He’s also about to do a touring play, which will be a great experience for
him. And he’s doing pantomime at the end of the year, which he is really looking forward to.
Jack was slated in the press for that, wasn’t he? What did you think about that?
Lots of people turn their nose up at pantomime. I hate that. He gets slagged off for not
working and then when he is working he gets slagged off! He’s going in there to have a
laugh and entertain children and that’s what jack loves doing. He’s playing prince
charming in Canterbury.
What do you make of the claims that jack ‘failed’ in Hollywood?
He’s still got aspirations to go to Hollywood and just recently he’s got a new agent who’s
a diamond. Jacks never been as busy as he is now. His agent wants him to go to the
states and try his hand over there. We've got a family we need to support and in order to
get where he wants to be he’s got to work his way up the ladder.
Your following Suzanne Shaw’s footsteps on stage….
Yes, she did Summer Holiday on tour. I went to see her in that and she did really well.
And now she’s pregnant…
She is. I was in South Africa when the news came out and my dad sent me a text. I called
her to ask her if it was true and she was saying, “where have you been? I’ve been trying to
call you!”
Are you and Jack planning to have any Ryder babies?
[Laughs] We’re getting to the point where we’d love a child. Jack is really enthusiastic
about it. It’d be really nice for us, but when the time is right. We’re both getting really
busy now and we want to be able to enjoy having a baby.
How’s your dad, David, after his heart operation?
He’s getting there. He gave us a scare because in December we found out he needed a
quadruple bypass operation. All of his arteries were blocked – one of them was 95 per
cent blocked and two were 75 per cent blocked. As soon as Christmas was over he went
in for his operation.
That must have been horrible….
It was really difficult because they do tell you beforehand that there’s a chance he could
die or have a stroke. It was an eight-hour operation and we stayed in the hospital all of
that time – in the canteen, sitting on the couches, drinking coffee; me, jack, my mum and
my brother. The hours went by so slowly. And then the phone rang and they said it had
been successful. The next day we went up in to see him and he was sat up in bed ordering
his breakfast.
Why did you go to South Africa?
I went there specifically to be involved with the freeing of the lions. I didn’t even know they
existed until I became involved with the charity, which is part of the Born Free Foundation.
How did you feel about being so close to the lions?
They were unbelievable. I was fascinated. There are fewer than 100 in the world. They’d
been raised by man and there temperaments were amazing. The female was due to have
cubs and the plan was to release them into a semi-wild environment and bring in another
white lion who’s been bought up in the wild so the cubs would be bought up the same.
Was it quite emotional?
It was, and I did get a bit tearful at one point. They had to be darted we had to move
them. When we were there they were waking up and were dizzy from the anaesthetic.
Did you manage to see some of South Africa?
I flew to Cape Town with Nadine from my management company and had a day before we
were due to go over to the Sanbona Game Reserve, so we went up to the top of Table
Mountain. Last year I filmed the video for Cry in Cape Town and I’d only seen the Table
Mountain from a distance, so it was nice to actually go up.
Are you going to go back with Jack?
He actually came with me last year, but he didn’t do any sightseeing either. I'd like to take
him to the Wildlife Reserve, and the kids would love it