“Footballers’ Wives is reportedly set to return for a reboot, 20 years after the original series of the beloved 00s show hit screens.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
The programme ran for five seasons from 2002 to 2006, comprising 42 episodes and a carousel of glamorous stars seizing dramatic roles amid absurd storylines.
After coming off air, stars of the show, including Zoe Lucker, Gary Lucy, Susie Amy and Gillian Taylforth, have pursued an array of paths, with many stepping from WAG-land to soap operas and others embroiled in explosive personal scandals.
EastEnders has acted as a beacon for the stars, with many scooping roles on the BBC show, while new career paths have summoned the likes of Cristian Solimeno, who played Jason Turner and is now filmmaking.
So what became of the stars of TV’s most absurd show?
ZOE LUCKER
With her excruciatingly lengthy French manicure, penchant for cocaine snorting, sizzling sex life and wicked ways – Zoe Lucker’s character Tanya Turner was indisputably one of Noughties TV’s most iconic characters.
The conclusion of the show left a cliffhanger, in which fans did not know if she was poisoned by manager Garry Ryan in a row over money.
Zoe’s fate was much more fruitful, as she left the show to become a soap star.
She played Vanessa Gold in EastEnders from 2010 to 2011 before going on to star as Carol Barry in Waterloo Road from 2013 to 2014.
Her soap aspirations continued, when she nabbed the role as Reenie McQueen in Hollyoaks. Her first soap appearances pre-dated Footballers’ Wives, when she appeared in two episodes of Coronation Street as Sonya Leach in 1996.
In 2009, Zoe appeared on Strictly Come Dancing’s seventh season, where she was paired with James Jordan and eliminated in week seven.
In 2021, Zoe spoke to the Daily Mail about the legacy of the show and how she is still seen as the character of Tanya, despite decades passing.
She said: ‘I get people all the time coming up to me and quoting scenes and it’s amazing as it’s been so long! People send me stuff and I’m like “how do people remember this?!” Hunsnet remember everything! It’s incredible!…
‘The thing is, it’s been 20 years and no matter what work I’ve done since, people still quote Footballers’ Wives. They still recognise myself and my cast members for that.
‘The fans have kept it alive all these years and that’s an absolute testament to the writers and to the directors and creators. They did this at a time when no one else was doing it.’
GILLIAN TAYLFORTH
TV royalty Gillian starred as Jackie – mother to Gary Lucy’s character Kyle Pascoe. Jackie’s steamy pool table romp with her son’s best friend culminated in her getting pregnant with Paddy, the hermaphrodite baby passed off as Kyle’s child.
After appearing in all five series of the show, Gillian went on to continue her work as one of UK TV’s showbiz greats, following her earlier lengthy stint on EastEnders.
Having first kicked off her soap career in the BBC soap in 1985, the 70-year-old played Kathy Beale up until 1998 before a brief return from 1999 to 2000.
On 19 February 2015, she made a surprise appearance as Kathy Beale in a live segment of the 30th anniversary episode.
Bosses then confirmed she had not died but instead faked her own death in South Africa in 2006. The BBC then confirmed she would be reprising the role permanently. She made another guest appearance in May before returning in August for good.
Gillian was a regular on The Bill, playing Sergeant Nikki Wright from 2006 to 2008.
In 2008, she starred on Strictly Come Dancing where she was paired with Anton Du Beke and was evicted in the second week.
Her soap stardom continued in February 2013, with her year-long role as Sandy Roscoe in Hollyoaks. Her Hollyoaks launch came after she appeared on the eleventh series of Celebrity Big Brother.
She was the fourth person to be evicted from the house after fifteen days.
GARY LUCY
Gary starred as embattled Kyle Pascoe, who juggled his wife’s eating disorder, his best friend and mother’s betrayal all while attempting to adopt his half-brother.
Like Gillian, Gary had a high-profile prior to the show, having soared to fame on Hollyoaks as Luke Morgan from 1999 to 2002.
In 2000 and 2001 he starred in spin-offs Hollyoaks: Breaking Boundaries and Hollyoaks: Indecent Behaviour before his big Footballers’ Wives role.
Following in his on-screen mother’s footsteps, Gary went on to appear as P/DC Will Fletcher in The Bill from 2005 to 2010 before scooping the role of Danny Pennant in EastEnders in September 2021.
He has also appeared in Dancing On Ice and returned to Hollyoaks.
While Gary’s work life has blossomed, his romance has hit headlines thanks to his relationship with Love Island star Laura Anderson, with whom he shares two-year-old daughter Bonnie. The couple split during her pregnancy.
Last month it was reported Gary is ‘desperate’ to see his daughter – yet sources claim the Love Island star is making the process ‘difficult’.
It was recently revealed that Laura, 36, and Gary’s ex wife Natasha have bonded over their ‘shared trauma’ over dating the star.
Gary previously gushed over his stint on the show: ‘It was a fantastic time in my life. I was 21 years old, I was living the dream at the time and I thoroughly enjoyed it…
‘There has been loads of talk about it but would I go back? I’d absolutely love to revisit that at some point but who knows what the future brings.’
CRISTIAN SOLIMENO
Tanya’s on-screen husband Jason Turner, played by Cristian Solimeno, was one of the show’s biggest villains – famed for his philandering ways, abusive treatment of his wife and vile attitude to those around him.
He spent the first two seasons cheating on Tanya and feuding with Frank Laslett, before being killed off by Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe, who herself died shortly after from anorexia having been riddled with guilt.
Cristian has continued his acting roles with a number of film parts, however has also opened himself up to photography, filmmaking and voiceovers.
In 2013 and 2014, he played Ray McCormick in Hollyoaks, until his character was allegedly killed by Grace Black, played by Tamara Wall. In 2018 he was seen as the troubled lead Dexter in British psychological thriller Welcome to Curiosity.
The photography section of his website showcases his work, in which he has snapped A-listers including James Cosmo and Jason Isaacs.
Of his voiceover work, Cristian writes: ‘I’ve been doing great voiceover gigs for great clients for more than 20 years now and I have to say I love it more than ever…
‘There’s a purity to only having your voice to work with and the sheer immediacy is always a tonic to me after slogging away on some little arthouse film that might take me 3 years to complete…
‘I have a home studio where I record audio for my own projects and since lockdown, obviously that’s where I’ve been doing all my work. Click on the Lockdown showreel track to hear how that work from home sounds.’
In 2020 he made the film I Made This For You about a group of friends trying to stop a suicide. On his aim for the film, Cristian said: ‘It could be a mix-tape, or a cake, just to keep looking outwards and out for each other.’
SUSIE AMY
Susie played Chardonnay in the show, the glamour model-turned-WAG who suffered a breakdown before her high-profile wedding after she was set on fire during her hen do, leaving her with scars on her breasts.
Her woes only continued when she wound up killing her enemy Jason for his abandonment of his son Paddy once he found out he was hermaphrodite.
The third season of the show opened with Chardonnay’s funeral, after she passed away from anorexia after murdering Jason at his and Tanya’s vow renewal.
In the midst of the show’s success, Susie was voted number 74 on the FHM list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World in 2002, and as number 63 in 2003.
Along with Katherine Monaghan, who played Donna Walmsley in series one, and Zöe, Amy appeared on the FHM cover for February 2003.
In 2021, Susie spoke about how she thinks they could still get away with the clothes they wore on the show today.
Susie said: ‘What we didn’t have in the first series was a huge budget. So Sarah Arthur (costume designer) really had to throw things together that looked expensive at the time on a very small budget for that First Season.
‘She did such a good job, and do you know what? I do think that with women’s fashion. Generally, you can wear things over the years.’
LAILA ROUASS
Laila appeared in the show as Amber Gates, a Bollywood actress who was married to Conrad Gates – the football star who was snared by Tanya.
Her acting career flourished surrounding the show, with recurring roles in the Family Affairs and Hollyoaks, as well as appearing in episodes of I Dream, Casualty and Meet the Magoons.
She starred in the 2005 adaptation of Syal’s novel Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee. In July 2024, it was announced that she would be joining EastEnders as Ayesha Siddhu, a woman from Suki Panesar’s past.
Alongside Zoe, she starred on the seventh season of Strictly, where she made it to the final four while dancing alongside Anton Du Beke.
She is married to professional snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan. The couple began dating in 2012 and became engaged in February 2013.
In February 2022, she announced on social media that they had split, but they subsequently reconciled before separating again in September 2024.
They reconciled again in January 2025 and married in June of that year. She features in the 2023 documentary about his career, Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything.
Frank’s attack: After Jason Turner (Cristian Solimeno) is lied to about a new recruit on the team, he and wife Tanya attack Earls Park’s chairman Frank Laslett (John Forgeham). After passing off the attack as a car accident, they frequently visit him in court, where Tanya discovers manic nurse Jeanette Dunkley (John Forgeham) has been raping the boss, who wakes up and discovers Tanya and Jason’s deceit.
Chardonnay’s inferno: While celebrating her hen do before marrying Kyle Pascoe (Gary Lucy), glamour model Chardonnay Lane (Susie Amy) is approached by a group of drunken admirers wielding a candle stick. While attempting to light a cigarette, one of the gentlemen accidentally sets fire to the festive lei garland Chardonnay is sporting. Her chest is left severely burnt, leading to a breakdown for the model.
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Season two, 2003: A hermaphrodite baby with a half-brother for a father, a fake rape allegation and a Champagne cliffhanger
Jackie and Jason’s baby: While breaking what was described as: ‘Rule one in the s***gers handbook’, Jason was indulging in one of his endless affairs – with his best friend Kyle’s mum Jackie. When Jackie discovers she’s pregnant, a mix-up meant Chardonnay believed it was she who was expecting. After much confusion, the family make the bold decision for the couple to adopt Jackie’s baby – although no one yet knows Jason is the father. Once it is announced, the family discover baby Paddy is a hermaphrodite – much to Jason’s disgust.
The Frank, Jason, Tanya Saga continues: In a bid to get away with their crime in the previous season, Tanya accuses Frank of raping her, however they are soon forced to settle outside court, much to the chairman’s chagrin.
Jason’s shock death: As the series concludes and Jason makes more and more enemies, he and Tanya decide to renew their wedding vows however she breaks up the ceremony by screaming at her husband. He then drunkenly heads to the roof where the menace suffers a slip, only for one of his many enemies to push him off using a Champagne bottle.
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Season three, 2004: Death by anorexia, the introduction of the Gates clan and Frank’s being killed ‘by s**ging’
Chardonnay’s death: The show opens with Chardonnay’s funeral after she died having fallen victim to anorexia; however, it is later revealed that she was Jason’s killer and was also riddled with guilt.
Frank’s murder: In a bid to get rid of her beau Frank, after marrying in episode one, Tanya begins feeding him a lethal combination of Viagra, alcohol and cocaine before getting involved in an energetic romping session – one of which eventually ends with his death – however he has the last laugh by piercing holes in their condoms and getting her pregnant.
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Season four, 2005: Baby swapping, a rapist’s kidnap and an Internet lover’s suicide pact ambitions
Baby swapping: Tanya swapped her own baby son Troy with Amber’s son Pundarik when they were expecting at the same time – supposedly with Conrad Gates’s baby – yet after Frank’s dying revenge of impregnating her, Tanya must push to make people believe Conrad is the father.
Darius gets his comeuppance: When the Earls Court gents go on holiday, it transpires one of the team raped one of the shot girls they partied with. Darius is unveiled as the rapist, so his victim Katie goes undercover as a nanny for Tanya before she kidnaps Darius on a boat to get her revenge.
Lucy’s botched escape attempts: When newbie Lucy Milligan attempts to get away from her controlling husband Bruno, she falls into the arms of a murderous doctor she met online. He tries to kill her in a suicide pact following his own wife’s death. When Conrad and Bruno try and save Lucy, Bruno accidentally shoots Conrad in a horror scene.
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Season five, 2006: A VERY super star cast addition, a model’s destroyed good looks and a cannibalism scandal
Joan Collins arrives: Joining the cast was Joan Collins, who played Eva de Wolffe, the girlfriend of Earls Court’s latest bright star Paulo Bardosa. Tanya begins an affair with the hunk, shortly before she realises his bizarre relationship with Eva – as it transpires rather than be his lover, she is more an owner after rescuing him from a Brazilian orphanage.
Shattering news: Newbie footballer Tremaine Gidigbi and his stunning girlfriend Liberty Baker caused ructions when they entered the scene however their romance was shaken to its core when she starred in an advert in Japan which depicted her as a cannibal. After the controversy of the commercial, she is glassed in a nightclub – putting her modelling career in jeopardy