A History Of Liverpool Thespians - Tina Malone

Christina Malone was born on the 30th of January 1963 in Toxteth, Liverpool to parents Olwyn and Frank and attended Liverpool Institute High School for Girls and Childwall College. It was at Liverpool Institute that Mrs Bates, her drama teacher, was the first person to show her Shakespeare and even though she was a bit of a rebel she believed in her. She has revealed in her book, 'Back in Control', that she was nearly forced to give up her first daughter Dannielle after becoming a mum at 18 when she fell pregnant to a criminal who dumped her when he found out she was expecting their child. Her dad was devastated and her parents told friends and family that she had gone away on a typing course in Brighton, and she was told that once the baby was born she must give it up for adoption. In reality she had to spend five months at Waverley House, then a Catholic-run home for unmarried girls in Warrington, Cheshire. Five days after the birth of her baby, who she named Dannielle after a ­character in the David Essex film Stardust, her Mum was back to pick her up with her Dad outside in the car. Tina says, "I handed Dannielle to the nurse. Leaving her behind was horrendous and, all the way home in the car, I sobbed." When tiny Dannielle was transferred to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, for the next six weeks Tina would sneak out from her parents’ home to visit her there. When the time came for Tina to sign the adoption papers, she knew in her heart she could not go through with it and went and told her mum. Her dad said that if she kept the baby she would have to leave his house. She did not speak to him for nearly a year. Refusing to sign the adoption papers she took Danielle to live with her and her Aunty Astrid in Southport.

It was nine years after the birth of her daughter that she first appeared as Mrs Crane in Frank Clarke's film 'Blonde Fist' (1991) set in Kirkby. There followed small roles in 'The Long Day Closes' (1992) and 'Between the Lines' (1992) followed by 'Scene' (1993), 'Screen Two' (1994) and 'The Liver Birds' (1996). She then appeared as Moira in 3 episodes of 'Common as Muck' (1994-97), a gritty BBC comedy drama serial focusing on the lives of a crew of bin men and their management staff, before she got a part in Phil Redmond's 'Brookside' (1993-98), playing Mo McGee. Mouthy Mo worked in Mick Johnson’s Pizza Parlour and had a bit of a thing for Sinbad. She then appeared on stage in Jonathan Harvey's play, 'Guiding Star' (1998) in a Royal National Theatre production at the Cottesloe Theatre in London, Gemma Bodinetz was director with Tracey Wilkinson, Colin Tierney, Kieran O'Brien, Carl Rice, Samantha Lavelle, Jake Abraham, Robert Perkins, and Elaine Lordan in the cast. She returned to TV to appear in 'Dinner Ladies' (1999) and continued with small roles on TV including 2 episodes of 'Fingersmith' (2005) as Nurse Spiller before landing a plumb role in 'Shameless' (2005-13). In this she played Mimi, the foul-mouthed, loud, brash and violent matriarch of the Maguire family who had eight children and was a drug dealer on the Chatsworth Estate frequently seen selling drugs. Her character was extremely violent, easily angered, and as hard as nails.

as Mimi McGuire

However, despite her character's drug dealing roles, the 'Shameless' star was secretly battling her alcohol and drug dependence and admitted that she used to drink up to 40 gin and tonics a day. It was in her college years, where she has openly confessed to experimenting with cannabis but alcohol remained her primary 'drug of choice'. Now though Tina is happily free from the bottle, having given up the booze 25 years ago, also opting to be drug-free for a decade. In August 2009, she appeared on the BBC Three programme called 'Britain's Most Embarassing Parents', with her daughter Danielle. In September 2009, she directed and starred in Kerry William's play 'Meet the Deans' at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool. Also in 2009 Tina had entered the 'Celebrity Big Brother' house, the seventh person to enter, and was immediately picked up on her loudness. On the 16th of January she was the second person to be evicted from the house. She married personal trainer Paul, who is 19 years her junior, in 2010. Not wanting to be a 'fat bride' she had a £5,000 gastric balloon operation to help her tackle her weight problem. This resulted in her dropping four dress sizes from a 26 to an 18 which eventually resulted in a 12st weight loss. She has also undergone a facelift and was completely unrecognisable with her long, wavy blonde hair when she appeared on TV in 2023. Tina also appeared on 'Celebrity Four Weddings' in December 2010, which she won.

Her fearless and funny autobiography

 

More recently she played Elaine McDermott in the 5Star prison drama 'Clink' (2019). Despite her success, in May 2012 Tina was declared bankrupt. Aged 50 she gave birth to a second daughter named Flame Chase and recently pleaded guilty to Contempt of Court, having shared a social media post which purported to reveal the identity of a killer, contrary to a court order. She was given an eight month prison sentence which was suspended for two years. Tina now runs her own acting school in Manchester, the Tina Malone Drama Academy, which produces plays in local Liverpool theatres such as the Everyman Theatre having run a similar agency with Dean Sullivan called DSTM. She has stated that she has the obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. Tina currently resides in Manchester with her husband Paul Chase and despite being on the brink of divorce in 2019, Tina has assured that 'things are good' now. She also appeared in 'Scousers' in St Helens Theatre Royal on the 26th of October 2010, alongside Margi Clarke, Billy Murray and various others and also 'Rita, Sue and Bob, Too! (2011-12) at the same venue.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2024/06/a-history-of-liverpool-thespians-colin.html