Another Olivier Nomination For Sharon Gaskell

The nominations for the Olivier Awards, Britain's highest theatrical honours, were announced yesterday.  Among the nominees was a name familiar to Corrie fans.  Tracie Bennett, best known in Weatherfield as Rita's foster daughter Sharon Gaskell, has been nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in Follies.

Tracie played Sharon on the show in two stints.  She was a tomboy fostered by Len and Rita in 1982, helping out at the builder's yard, before developing a crush on Brian Tilsley.  Even though he was married with a child, she pursued him, and then claimed that they were in love.  It lead to a falling out with Rita, and she took a job in Sheffield to get over Brian, returning briefly after Len's death.

In 1999 she came back to Weatherfield with a fiance, Ian.  He had an affair with Natalie Barnes, though, so she jilted him at the altar.  To support the newly single Sharon, Rita gave her the Kabin for her birthday;  however, after a disastrous relationship with Danny Hargreaves that saw her contemplate suicide, she reconciled with Ian and left town.  A heartbroken Rita bought the shop back off her, and they haven't spoken since.

Tracie is, of course, no stranger to the Oliviers - this is her sixth nomination.  She's been nominated twice for Best Actress, and an incredible four times as Best Supporting Actress, winning twice in 1995 and 2008.  She's also appeared in a wide variety of other films and TV shows, including two (in my opinion) criminally underrated 1990s sitcoms, Joking Apart and Next of Kin.

The 2018 Olivier Awards, hosted by Catherine Tate, are presented at the Royal Albert Hall on the 8th April.

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