GILLIAN Taylforth is a born survivor. She got through a highly damaging court case and its consequences, came out the other side and retained her street cred in one of the nation's favourite soaps.

She left and still managed to keep her bankability among TV producers. They eventually cast her in a central role in the gloriously tacky Footballers' Wives series.

In this, she looks as good as the younger, definitely glamorous actresses, and is more convincing than most in spite of the often ludicrous storylines.

A survivor? I suppose you can take the girl out of the East end, but you can't take the East end out of the girl.