Hewson recalls Robert Lindsay relationship

Sherrie Hewson has opened up about her whirlwind romance with Robert Lindsay.

The former Coronation Street star's autobiography is being serialised by The Mirror. In it, the actress admitted that she had fallen "instantly in love" with the My Family actor when they met at drama school.

"In my first year at Rada I went to see the second years in Romeo and Juliet - starring a young Robert Lindsay," she said. "Watching his passionate portrayal I fell instantly in love.

"We met at a party later and talked and laughed all night. He asked me on a date and within weeks we were in love and decided to move in together… in a very shabby flat."

She continued: "We'd been in our little love nest for a year when we decided to get married. I was 20 and Bob was 21 but we thought it was real love and we’d be together for ever. We chose a date and despite her reservations Mum bought me a beautiful wedding dress and outfits for my bridesmaids and pageboy. We chose the venue and guests and I arranged for our banns to be read.

However, Hewson admitted that her happiness was short-lived as she realised Lindsay was not happy.

"I was ecstatic. Bob seemed just as happy but a few weeks before our wedding it all changed," she said. "Bob had graduated from Rada and was beginning his career in a play in Exeter. I went down to visit but started to feel uneasy. A couple of girls he worked with were giving him looks I couldn't mistake and he was very distant towards me.

I became convinced he was playing around. I went home to Mum’s house in Nottingham. I didn't hear from him. As the days passed I realised he wasn't going to get in touch. Mum picked up the signals and then quietly cancelled everything.

"Looking back, Bob was fiercely ambitious," she explained. "He used to say: 'I'll have my name in lights before you do'. So perhaps he felt we'd be competing. Of course I felt sad but deep down I knew we'd just got carried away."

Describing her first encounter with Lindsay after the breakdown of their relationship, she recalled: "I headed back to Rada and didn't see or speak to Bob until 12 years later when I walked into the BBC for a radio play. We said a polite 'hello' but I couldn't resist a little dig. 'By the way,' I called out over my shoulder, 'I sold the dress!' Quite rightly, he lowered his head."

Hewson's autobiography Sherrie: Behind the Laughter will be published on March 3.

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