EastEnders’ Jill Halfpenny reveals ‘unbearable’ pain after partner died in gym

The actress has opened up about her partner passing away two years ago

jill halfpenny

by Eden-Olivia Lord |
Updated on

EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny, who played Kate Mitchell, has spoken out about the 'unbearable' pain she felt after her partner's sudden death in a gym.

In 2017 while Jill's partner, who has remained unnamed, went to the gym he suffered a heart attack and died. Now, the 44-year-old actress has spoken out about the traumatic experience and how it reminded her of losing her dad during her childhood.

eastenders steve mcfadden jill halfpenny
©Getty Images

Appearing on The Two Shot Podcast, she explained, "Something happened a couple of years ago - I experienced something I've never ever spoken about.

"In January 2017 my partner, in very similar circumstances to my dad, went to the gym, had a heart attack and died."

She went on to detail how her partner's death took her back to losing her dad at the age of four; he went to play football and had a heart attack before passing away.

"What happened was that it brought all of my grief from my dad as well; it was like dealing with a double loss - a loss I'd never dealt with." She bravely went on to say, "Oh my god, it's unbearable. I cannot cope with these feelings.

"I just want cessation: the feeling to stop."

jill halfpenny
©Getty Images

Coronation Street fans will remember Jill as Rebecca Hopkins the nurse who had an affair with Martin Platt and left him heartbroken.

She then appeared on EastEnders as Kate Mitchell who was an undercover police officer trying to get Phil to confess to killing Lisa Fowler. Kate fell in love with Phil and the pair got married, however she later divorced him.

She then supported Little Mo after she was raped by Graham Foster and left the Square after she's offered a job in the police force.

Check out all of next week's EastEnders spoilers:

Gallery

EastEnders spoilers: there's tension on the day of Hunter Owen's funeral

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The week begins with a confused Phil and Sharon checking E20's account and spotting lots of withdrawals. Phil quickly clocks that Mel is behind it and instantly cuts her off.

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When Mel realises she's unable to access the money she's left distraught – she can't afford to pay for Hunter's funeral. Mel decides to take matters into her own hands and confront Sharon.

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Phil discovers that Jay is arranging Hunter's funeral and demands he get someone else to help out. When Mel tells Jay she wants to scale back on the amount she's spending on her son's funeral she's floored when he reveals he can no longer arrange it.

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Even though Phil has forbidden Jay from helping Mel, he decides to let her into the funeral parlour so she can be with Hunter.

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After a while Lisa Fowler finds Mel and as the pair take a fond trip down memory lane it gives Mel the strength she needs to get through her horrendous time.

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On the day of Hunter's funeral, Mel – with the help of Lisa's support – composes herself and prepares to say goodbye to her son.

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eastenders spoilers hunter owen funeral

Over at the Mitchells, Phil is adamant that none of them are going to the funeral which leaves Louise conflicted as she was friends with Hunter.

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Later on, Mel and Lisa head over to The Vic after saying goodbye to Hunter but the Mitchell family are there and it's safe to say that there's tension.

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It all kicks off when Phil discovers that Jay went behind his back and helped Mel. As the tension begins to rise an argument breaks out and results in Mel leaving…

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At home, Mel is surprised when Sharon tries to smooth everything over but following the hectic day it kicks off between the women.

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Meanwhile when Kathy Beale discovers her grandson is staying with Max Branning she begs him to reconsider. His mind is preoccupied and he leaves when he receives a text from Imran.

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Bobby asks Max if Imran can also stay at his house but when Jack overhears their conversation he's furious. Jack refuses to let Bobby stay, telling Max it's not an offer.

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Bobby is crushed when he hears Jack and rushes off leaving Max wracked with guilt. When Kathy arrives home she's concerned when she notices how uneasy Bobby is.

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She's unaware that Bobby is still hallucinating and it's making him anxious. Kathy decides to take matters into her own hands and try and help him but it leaves Bobby furious. After being betrayed by his nan, Bobby storms out of the house.

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The next day Bobby has had a rough night – in the park – and on his way back to the Square he bumps into Callum. Concerned with Bobby he tries to check up on him but it results in the teenager running off.

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Bobby soon bumps into Rainie Cross and as the pair exchange insults it becomes too much for him. Rainie tries to reassure the teenager but she's unaware that he's actually hearing Lucy's voice.

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Stuart Highway confronts Kathy about giving Rainie painkillers and he ends up striking a deal with her that benefits them both.

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When Ian arrives he's furious to learn about Imran and as tension in the Beale house rises it's not long before Kathy and Ian blame each other for Bobby's behaviour.

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eastenders spoilers bobby beale

Bobby tries to confront his past but as he struggles to come to terms with everything that's happened over the past few years he finds himself in a dangerous situation…

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Bex Fowler feels the pressure of university but manages to distract herself by working on Martin Fowler's stall. However when Robbie Fowler arrives and tries to help out things don't go as planned…

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When Louise spots her pal she hatches a plan to cheer her up however she later left annoyed when it backfires. She then asks Robbie to help her with another surprise…

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Over at The Vic, Louise has thrown her best friend a party but Bex is determined to avoid the attention and tries to keep a low profile.

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Bex later decides to step out of her comfort zone and open up to Robbie but he's had far too many drinks and is completely oblivious to what she's saying.

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Meanwhile at the party, Sheree and Patrick are enjoying themselves but things get awkward when Ted Murray dances with her and oversteps the mark.

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The next day Patrick is determined to speak to his friend but when he reveals he misses his beloved Joyce, Sheree decides to step in and set him up on a date.

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Over to the Carter family and Linda takes Ollie to his new school but feels left out because of all the hostile mum's. Chantelle Atkins doesn't help the situation by warning the landlady about them.

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Later on Linda opens up to Mick about it. The next day she's determined to become friends with the mum to help Ollie but it quickly becomes clear that it won't be as easy as she thought.

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Gray panic when he can't get hold of his wife – he's unaware that her phone is broken. However when Keegan offers to help fix it, Gray lies in order to get it back.

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Mitch Baker berates his son for leaving school but Keegan is too preoccupied trying to calm Tiffany Butcher down before she starts her new course.

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After some inspiration from Tiff, Keegan offers to help out at Walford East and decides to use the opportunity to further his own business.

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He's quickly caught out by Iqra and Habiba Ahmed. Iqra Ahmed encourages the teenager and they mutually decide on a deal that will benefit them both.

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eastenders spoilers tiffany butcher keegan taylor

She later offers him some advice for his love life and he decides to arrange a romantic meal with Tiff.

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Following some advice from Jack, Tiff talks to Keegan and they both agree to take their relationship slowly.

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Elsewhere, following his disastrous wedding (that didn't go ahead) Callum and Ben's relationship seems to be going from strength to strength. However he's left filled when nerves when Ben asks him out for a drink.

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