After two decades, the popular early 2000s drama Footballers’ Wives is supposedly being brought back with a reboot.
The show aired for five seasons, from 2002 to 2006, and featured 42 episodes. It was known for its over-the-top plots and appearances by a rotating cast of famous actors taking on intense roles.
Since the show ended, its stars—like Zoe Lucker, Gary Lucy, Susie Amy, and Gillian Taylforth—have all taken different routes. Some transitioned from being known as ‘WAGs’ (wives and girlfriends of footballers) to acting in soap operas, while others have been caught up in very public and dramatic personal issues.
As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always watched how ‘EastEnders’ launches careers! So many actors get their big break on that show. It’s amazing to see people like Cristian Solimeno, who we all remember as Jason Turner, now successfully pursuing new passions – he’s moved into filmmaking, which is fantastic! It just proves that ‘EastEnders’ can be a springboard to all sorts of exciting things.
So what became of the stars of TV’s most absurd show?
ZOE LUCKER


Zoe Lucker’s Tanya Turner was a truly memorable TV character from the 2000s, known for her over-the-top style – including incredibly long nails – her wild lifestyle, a vibrant love life, and generally mischievous behavior.
The show ended with a suspenseful cliffhanger, leaving viewers wondering if Garry Ryan, her manager, had poisoned her during a financial dispute.
Zoe’s fate was much more fruitful, as she left the show to become a soap star.
From 2010 to 2011, she played Vanessa Gold on the soap opera EastEnders. She then went on to play Carol Barry in Waterloo Road from 2013 to 2014.
She continued pursuing acting roles and eventually landed the part of Reenie McQueen in the soap opera Hollyoaks. Before Footballers’ Wives, she’d actually made her television debut in Coronation Street in 1996, appearing in two episodes as Sonya Leach.
In 2009, Zoe competed on the seventh season of Strictly Come Dancing. She danced with James Jordan, but they were eliminated after seven weeks.
In 2021, Zoe told the Daily Mail that people still recognize her as Tanya, the character she played on the show, even after many years.
It’s still amazing to me that people remember lines from the show after all this time! I constantly have people quoting scenes to me, and I’m always wondering how they can recall such details. The fans – they really remember everything, it’s incredible!
It’s funny, even after twenty years, I’m still best known for ‘Footballers’ Wives’. People constantly quote lines from the show and still recognize me and the other actors from it.
The show’s enduring popularity is a real tribute to the talented writers, directors, and creators who brought it to life, especially considering they pioneered this kind of storytelling when it wasn’t common.


GILLIAN TAYLFORTH


Gillian played Jackie, the mother of Gary Lucy’s character, Kyle. A passionate encounter between Jackie and Kyle’s friend led to a pregnancy, and the resulting baby, Paddy, who was intersex, was presented as Kyle’s child.
Gillian starred in all five seasons of the show and continued her successful career in British television, building on her previous long-running role on EastEnders.
The actress began her career on the BBC soap opera in 1985, playing Kathy Beale for thirteen years until 1998. She later returned to the show for a short period between 1999 and 2000.
On February 19, 2015, she unexpectedly appeared as Kathy Beale during a live portion of the show’s 30th anniversary celebration.
Her employers later revealed she hadn’t actually died, but had staged her own death in South Africa back in 2006. The BBC then announced she would be returning to the role full-time. She first made a brief appearance in May, and then officially returned in August.
Gillian was a regular on The Bill, playing Sergeant Nikki Wright from 2006 to 2008.
In 2008, she competed on Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Anton Du Beke, but was eliminated after two weeks.
She continued to gain recognition for her acting in February 2013 when she joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Sandy Roscoe, a role she played for a year. This followed an appearance on the eleventh season of Celebrity Big Brother.
She was the fourth person to be evicted from the house after fifteen days.



GARY LUCY


Gary played Kyle Pascoe, a man struggling with multiple challenges: his wife’s eating disorder, the betrayal of his best friend and mother, and his efforts to adopt his half-brother.
Before appearing on the show, Gary was already well-known, having become famous playing Luke Morgan on the soap opera Hollyoaks from 1999 to 2002, just like Gillian.
Before landing his popular role on Footballers’ Wives, he appeared in two related series, Hollyoaks: Breaking Boundaries and Hollyoaks: Indecent Behaviour, in 2000 and 2001.
Like his mother, who also acted on television, Gary began his career with a role as P/DC Will Fletcher on the police drama The Bill from 2005 to 2010. More recently, in September 2021, he joined the cast of EastEnders as Danny Pennant.
He has also appeared in Dancing On Ice and returned to Hollyoaks.
Gary’s career is going well, but his personal life has been more public recently due to his relationship with Laura Anderson, from the show Love Island. They have a two-year-old daughter named Bonnie, but separated while Laura was pregnant.
Reports last month indicated Gary is eager to reconnect with his daughter, but sources say he’s actually creating obstacles in the process.
Laura, age 36, and Gary’s former wife, Natasha, have become close because they both experienced difficult relationships with the star.
Gary has often spoken fondly of his time on the show, recalling it as a wonderful period in his life. He was 21 years old and felt like he was living a dream, and he really enjoyed the experience.
People have been discussing it a lot, and I’ve definitely thought about going back. I’d really enjoy that if I had the chance, but it’s hard to say what will happen.


CRISTIAN SOLIMENO


Tanya’s on-screen husband, Jason Turner (played by Cristian Solimeno), was a major antagonist on the show. He was notorious for being unfaithful, mistreating his wife, and generally being unpleasant to everyone around him.
For the first two seasons, he was unfaithful to Tanya and constantly argued with Frank Laslett. He was eventually killed by Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe, who tragically died soon after from anorexia, overwhelmed by guilt.
Cristian is still acting in films, but he’s also expanded his creative pursuits to include photography, filmmaking, and voiceover work.
He appeared in the soap opera Hollyoaks from 2013 to 2014 as Ray McCormick, a character who was supposedly killed off by Grace Black (played by Tamara Wall). In 2018, he played the main role of Dexter, a character struggling with difficulties, in the British thriller Welcome to Curiosity.
His website features a photography portfolio with photos of famous actors like James Cosmo and Jason Isaacs.
Cristian has been a voiceover artist for over 20 years, and he still loves the work and the clients he gets to collaborate with.
It’s incredibly refreshing to just use my voice – the instant connection is a great break from working on small, artistic films that can take years to finish.
I record audio in my home studio for my personal projects. With everything happening during lockdown, that’s become my main workspace. You can hear examples of my work recorded at home by listening to the ‘Lockdown’ showreel track.
In 2020, Cristian made a film called I Made This For You, which follows a group of friends working to prevent a suicide. He explained his goal for the film, saying it was about the importance of looking out for one another – like sharing a mixtape or baking a cake – and staying connected.

SUSIE AMY


Susie portrayed Chardonnay, a glamorous model and WAG, in the show. Chardonnay experienced a mental health crisis before her very public wedding. This followed a traumatic incident where she was burned during her bachelorette party, leaving her with scars on her chest.
Her troubles escalated when she killed her rival, Jason, after he abandoned his son, Paddy, upon discovering Paddy was intersex.
The show’s third season began with the funeral of Chardonnay, who died from anorexia following her killing of Jason at his and Tanya’s wedding renewal ceremony.
While the show was popular, Susie also gained recognition for her appearance, ranking at number 74 on FHM’s list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World in 2002, and improving to number 63 in 2003.
I was so thrilled to see Amy, along with Katherine Monaghan who played Donna in the first series, featured on the cover of FHM magazine in February 2003! It was a really exciting moment for a fan like me.
Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what Susie said! She was talking about how she genuinely thinks the outfits they wore on the show would still be totally stylish today! Like, can you even imagine? It’s just…proof that they were ahead of their time, honestly. I need to rewatch everything now just to analyze the fashion again!
As someone who’s seen a lot of productions come together, I can tell you that the first season was a real exercise in creativity! We didn’t have a massive budget, so our incredible costume designer, Sarah Arthur, had to be incredibly resourceful. She really worked magic, making everything look expensive and polished, even though we were operating on a shoestring budget.
She really excelled, and it’s true that with women’s fashion, you can often wear the same pieces for years.


LAILA ROUASS


Laila played the role of Amber Gates, a Bollywood actress. Amber was married to Conrad Gates, the football player who Tanya ended up with.
She built a successful acting career around her work on the show, with regular appearances in series like Family Affairs and Hollyoaks, and guest roles on popular programs including I Dream, Casualty, and Meet the Magoons.
She appeared in the 2005 film version of Anita Syal’s novel, Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee. More recently, in July 2024, it was revealed she’d be joining the cast of EastEnders as Ayesha Siddhu, a character connected to Suki Panesar’s history.
She appeared on the seventh season of Strictly Come Dancing with Zoe, and together they reached the final four, partnered with Anton Du Beke.
She is married to snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan. They started dating in 2012 and got engaged in February 2013.
They first announced their breakup on social media in February 2022, but later got back together. Unfortunately, they separated again in September 2024.
The couple got back together in January 2025 and were married that June. She also appears in the 2023 documentary about his life, titled Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything.



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2025-10-21 03:14