Black Doves' Sarah Lancashire: Battle with "cruel illness", famous dad, and 'tough' marriage breakdown
National treasure? We think so!
Sarah Lancashire returns to our screens in Black Doves series 2 this month, playing the ice queen spymaster Elizabeth Reed. And, as per usual, she steals every single scene she’s in (which isn’t enough).
The actress first played Mrs Reed in 2024’s series 1, and was woefully underused. But her character’s story is front and centre of this year’s Black Doves series 2.
This series delves into Reed’s past. Stemming from a terrible secret about her early career as an agent in Berlin, a plot unfurls to bring her and the rest of the Black Doves down… She is forced to confront the terrible decisions of her past.
Of course, Sarah’s fans will know her from her long and varied career, starting in the 80s. She’s since become one of the UK’s most bankable stars, winning our hearts in TV series such as Coronation Street, Where the Heart Is, and Happy Valley. Here’s the phenomenal actress Sarah Lancashire in profile, including her career highlights, two marriages, and family life behind the screens…
Sarah Lancashire plays Reed in the cast of Black Doves
The ridiculously talented Sarah Lancashire stars as “enigmatic” spymaster Mrs Elizabeth Reed in the cast of Black Doves. Imagine someone with the attitude of badass Catherine Cawood, only posher, and wearing a beautiful coat.
It’s a role she was born to play, and quite different to other roles she’s previously portrayed. Reed is in charge of the spies who work for Black Doves, an organisation that sells state secrets to the highest bidder. This includes “spy wife” Helen Webb, played by Keira Knightley. And their scenes together are some of the best we’ve seen.
Talking about her character, Sarah told us: “Reed is a spymaster who is very high up in an organisation called the Black Doves. Their job is to collect intelligence information and sell it on to the highest bidder.”
Revealing her favourite line in the show, she said: “I have one conversation with Sam (Ben Whishaw) which really beautifully sums up the whole organisation. She says: ‘No one really leaves, Sam. It’s a nice idea we dangle in front of ourselves from time to time. A grain of salt we put on the end of our tongue. But here we both are.’
“She also says something similar to Helen (Keira Knightley) when she asks Reed what happens if she makes a mistake and it all goes pear shaped. Reed says: ‘They’ll take off our baubles and put us in the woodchipper.'”
Sarah also revealed that she “adores playing Reed” because “there are elements of her character which are quite unlike anything that I’ve encountered before”. She also calls her character “a psychopathic Mary Poppins” with “absolutely no morals whatsoever”.
What TV and films is Sarah Lancashire most famous for?
Sarah’s been on our screens for nearly four decades. Playing foul-mouthed Sergeant Cawood in Happy Valley was arguably her finest hour, but she has dozens of notches on her CV.
Of course, Coronation Street fans will know her as lovable barmaid Raquel Watts in the ITV soap. It’s a role she played from 1987 to 2000.
The Lancashire-born actress went on to portray Yvonne Kolakowski in Clocking Off, Rose Linden in Rose and Maloney, and Mrs. Corney in Oliver Twist.
Sarah’s also known for playing Ruth Goddard in Where the Heart Is, Laura in Lark Rise to Candleford, Miriam Grayson in Kiri, and Caroline in Last Tango in Halifax. We’d watch her watching paint dry to be honest.
Most recently, Sarah portrayed American chef and author Julia Child in the BAFTA-winning Sky Max Original series Julia. The drama was inspired by Julia’s extraordinary life. Her show The French Chef is credited with inventing food television.
Who is Black Doves’ Sarah Lancashire married to now?
Sarah has been married to her second husband, TV producer and executive Peter Salmon, for 25 years. The pair married in a low-key ceremony held at Langar Hall in Nottinghamshire in 2001 after dating since 2000. They welcomed their son Joseph in March 2003.
The pair first met when Sarah starred on Coronation Street and Peter worked at Granada Studios. Peter has three sons from his previous marriage to Penny Watt. Sarah previously had two children with her first husband.
Sarah keeps her private life pretty private and previously revealed her reason behind this decision. “I guard it because it’s very precious. It’s not a piece of drama. It is real life, my normal life. And I value my normality.”
Peter Salmon is 70, to Sarah’s 62. He became Chief Creative Officer of Endemol Shine Group, after leaving his role of Director of BBC Studios. Before that he held a number of senior BBC roles including Chief Creative Officer of BBC Vision.
Has Sarah Lancashire got any children?
Sarah Lancashire has three sons, two with her first husband Gary Hargreaves, and a third with her current husband Peter Salmon.
She was just 22 when she became pregnant with her first child. Her first son Thomas was born in 1987. Second son Matthew followed in 1988.
After divorcing Gary, and marrying Peter Salmon, Sarah had her third child Joseph Peter Salmon in 2003. She is also a stepmother to Peter Salmon’s three sons from his previous marriage.
Although the actress who plays a young Reed in Black Doves series 2 looks a LOT like Sarah Lancashire, she’s not related to Sarah Lancashire. In fact, actress Lauren Moakes is a relative newcomer to TV, having previously appeared in Call the Midwife as Hazel Rogers.
Who was Sarah Lancashire’s first husband?
The actress married Gary Hargreaves – a music lecturer 11 years her senior – when she was just 22 in 1987. After welcoming two sons together, they separated in 1995.
The pair met when she was 18 and married by the time she was 22, eventually sharing two sons, Thomas and Matthew. However, Sarah later described the union as “tough” and admitted it lasted far longer than it should have.
Talking about her marriage in an interview with The Telegraph in 2001, Sarah admitted she had only married her boyfriend Gary because she had become pregnant. She admitted she was afraid of the stigma of having a child out of wedlock, and admitted the marriage was “loveless” and “tough”.
She said at the time: “I got married only because I was pregnant. Simple as that. I am a very traditional girl and was horrified at the thought of having a child out of wedlock. I didn’t want a child of mine to be different or have fingers pointed at.”
Reflecting further, she shared: “It all seems ridiculous. Now, I just tell people to get lost, and it feels great. But my marriage lasted for 10 years, which was 10 years longer than it should have done. It was tough.”
Gary later admitted he was hurt by her comments about their marriage. Discussing how she called him to tell him she was engaged to Peter, he said he jokingly asked if she was pregnant and she replied: “No, I’m doing it for the right reasons this time.”
Where does Black Doves actress Sarah Lancashire live now?
Sarah and her husband Peter now live in a £3million five-bedroom house on a quiet road in the South-West London enclave of Twickenham.
Twickenham is a suburban town located in a leafy, wealthy area of London. It forms part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and sits on the banks of the River Thames, near Kingston upon Thames and Hounslow.
It is most famous as the home of Twickenham Stadium, the world’s largest rugby union stadium.
Has Sarah Lancashire got a twin brother?
Not everyone knows that actress Sarah Lancashire has a twin brother named Simon, who works as a doctor.
She has three brothers in total – an older brother called John, a younger brother named James, and her twin brother, Simon.
Sadly, we don’t have a picture of Sarah’s twin to show you, but we wish we did.
Who is Sarah’s famous dad?
Sarah is the daughter of Geoffrey Lancashire, an English television scriptwriter and journalist.
He is best remembered for writing television comedy series such as The Lovers and The Cuckoo Waltz. He also wrote 171 episodes of Coronation Street during the 1960s. Of course, his daughter Sarah subsequently went on to star in the ITV soap.
Geoffrey died in October 2004 aged 71, having suffered from a series of strokes late in his life. He never fully recovered and lived at Denville Hall, a nursing home for people from the television and theatrical professions.
He died at Watford General Hospital and was survived by his wife Hilda, Sarah’s mum.
What is Sarah Lancashire’s real accent?
Sarah is arguably best known for playing Raquel in Corrie, who spoke with a distinct Lancashire accent, and Yorkshire copper Catherine Cawood in Happy Valley.
So many find themselves shocked to hear Sarah’s real accent. She actually speaks with a soft, polished, and refined English accent in real life.
The actress was born and raised in Oldham, Greater Manchester. Her Black Doves character Reed actually speaks rather posh!
Sarah Lancashire’s depression made her “20s a write-off”
Sarah Lancashire previously told The Scotsman that her depression made her “20s a write-off”. She also shared that she was a “genius” at hiding her struggle.
She said at the time: “Tranquillisers were the worst thing for it. I ended up in a terrible mess. My twenties were a write-off.”
Sarah said her job as an actor helped her hide her struggle. She added: “It’s a cruel illness because you can’t see it and you can hide it so well. At least, I can. I’m a genius at hiding it. I think a lot of people are. Actors are bloody marvellous at hiding.”
Sarah said her depression made her feel so “debilitated” that she couldn’t even get a train from Manchester to London for auditions.
It wasn’t until her mother “dragged her” to the doctor during a filming break from Coronation Street that she was able to finally get treatment.
Black Doves’ Sarah Lancashire “twice contemplated suicide”
Sarah said the “cruel illness” made her “twice contemplate suicide” before she was able to seek help.
But, she has been open about her struggle and says she no longer suffers “the shame that goes with depression”.
She shared: “When I was finally able to admit it and get it all out of the closet, I felt so liberated. I could say ‘yes, I’ve got the full works. Yes, I’ve been to that hospital’.”
She later shared in 2020 that she hadn’t taken anti-depressants since 2001. The Happy Valley star shared: “I know there will come a time when I’ll have to, but for now it’s OK.”
Read more: Sarah Lancashire plays woman convicted of killing her three children in ‘utterly compelling’ Netflix series Witch Hunt
