Celebrity Traitors and Coronation Street star confirmed for huge Lifetime Achievement award

She's just been dubbed the Most Trustworthy person on The Celebrity Traitors, and now Coronation Street and Happy Valley star Julie Hesmondhalgh is set to pick up a big Lifetime Achievement award next month.

She'll be the inaugural winner of the trophy at the Great British Theatres Awards, hosted by Marisha Wallace on November 2, just days after the current run of The Celebrity Traitors airs its finale.

In addition to her acclaimed acting talents, Hesmondhalgh has been a prolific advocate for theatre, having played a major part in helping to save the Oldham Coliseum from closure. She also co-founded Manchester's Take Back Theatre Collective.

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Joshua McTaggart, CEO of Theatres Trust, said: "The concept for the Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognise someone who shares Theatres Trust’s belief that everyone should have access to theatre and live performance no matter where they live or what their background is.

"There is no one in the public eye who embodies this spirit more than Julie Hesmondhalgh. Julie has used her platform as one of the country’s most beloved actors to bang the drum for inclusive and equitable access to the performing arts and champion important community theatres."

He added: "We are thrilled that she is going to accept this award."

Elsewhere, Hesmondhalgh is set to be a key player on The Celebrity Traitors, which has picked up blockbuster ratings since its second season debuted last week.

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Speaking ahead of the premiere, she said: "I am a fair player but I'm incredibly competitive. I commit so strongly, I'm a maniac, so everyone's a bit worried about me in the Missions!

"I absolutely play to win. I don't mind losing. I'm not a sore loser but I give it my all. So much so I think people are genuinely quite frightened of me sometimes!"

Asked what her biggest pros and cons as a contestant will be, she mused: "My biggest weakness is that I'll be too trusting. My biggest strength is that I'm a good team player."

The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.