BBC Beyond Paradise's Sally Bretton heartbreaking family confession as job 'took its toll'

Beyond Paradise's Sally Bretton has admitted that she often turns down a certain type of role as she puts her family first. The BBC star, who made a name for herself as Lucy in sitcom Not Going Out, said that she doesn't often take touring theatre roles due to family committments.

The 44-year-old actress shares three children with her husband, Lee, including a set of twins. While Sally likes to keep her private life out of the spotlight, she has previously shared small snippets of what her home life is like.

Speaking to Glasgow Times back in 2020, she said: "My children are still quite young, so I haven't done much theatre – touring is not a good fit with family life. My children came up to Aberdeen for half term, which was fantastic – we had a lovely time. Even saw some dolphins, which was unexpected."

While she has been fortunate enough to have three children in her private life, Sally's character on Beyond Paradise is struggling. She plays Martha on the hit BBC drama who is married to Humphrey Goodman (played by Kris Marshall) and hoping to start a family of their own in Devon.

After their efforts with IVF treatment ended in tragedy for the couple in series one, series two follows them as they explore the idea of fostering. Looking ahead to what's next for Martha in Beyond Paradise, she shared: "Things are looking up for Martha.

"They're exploring fostering and they're right at the start of that journey, and very nervous about it and want it to go well and want to be good at it. They've got lots of love to give."

Sally admitted that she jumped at the chance to return as Martha in the BBC One spin-off.

She told This Morning's Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary: "I was part of Kris' exit storyline from the Caribbean and then we were in the first lockdown and the phone rang.

"I was like, 'Oh my God! '. Even if it doesn't happen, it was just three weeks of thinking about that while the world had stopped. It was to have something to sink my teeth into."

Sally's role as Martha in Beyond Paradise is her most recent role, but prior to starring in the drama, the actress had plenty of other stints in popular shows.

She first appeared on TV in Ricky Gervais' The Office as Donna, back in 2001. Now she has a number of other big credits up her sleeve, including Absolute Power, The Bill and Hotel Babylon.