| On Holiday in beautiful Grenada Joanna Taylor reveals why boyfriend Danny Murphy is 'The one' Life on the beach in the idyllic Caribbean hideaway of Grenada was a world away from life on the beat in Liverpool for actress Joanna Taylor, who plays PC Jackie Brown in the gritty BBC police drama Merseybeat. The former Hollyoaks actress jetted off for a week in the sun with her best friend Louise Sanderson. The gorgeous-looking duo enjoyed a girlie holiday at the luxurious Spice Island Beach Resort, lazing on the sand, having spa treatments and enjoying sunset cocktails. After romances with former EastEnders actor Paul Nicholls and ex-five star Ritchie Neville, Joanna has now found happiness with Liverpool and England footballer Danny Murphy. Though the papers seem eager to have them engaged - Ladbrokes have them at 5-1 to wed this year - the 24 year old denies that the Liverpool midfielder has popped the question, though she admits they are very much in love. She talks lovingly about Danny's romantic nature and says she can't wait to move into their first house together with their two kittens... Why did you choose Grenada for your holiday? I've actually been there before. I like the fact that it's in the Caribbean, so at this time of year it's really hot. It's pretty and not built up as some of the other islands. My friend Louise and I just wanted to chill for a week and the Grand Anse beach is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean - it was beautiful. Where did you stay? We stayed in one of the Royal Private Pool Suites at the Spice Island Beach Resort with its own little pool, whirlpool bath and sauna. We ate lots of prawns and lobster in the beach restaurant , and also had dinner with the hotel owner, Royston Hopkin, and his wife, Betty, who have this beautiful ocean-front house. Did you go to the spa? Yes, we had a couple of massages. When I got a little sunburnt they suggested I have a water lily wrap. One of the reasons you left Hollyoaks was because you wanted a more serious role... Yes. Some people tried to encourage me to present but I am an actress and wanted to concentrate on that. When Merseybeat came along, it was perfect as it's a gritty drama. Leslie Ash has been getting a hard time in the press about her lips. How do you feel about it? I think the press have been very cruel. I've worked with her for about six months and her lips were back to normal by the end of the series. She is a lovely lady and I love working with her. Would you ever have any cosmetic surgery done? I'm only 24 - ask me in 20 years! Who do you get on with best in the cast? We have a real laugh on set and I get on very well with Josie D'Arby (PC Jodie Finn) and Jonathan Kerrigan (PC Steve Traynor). As I work so closely with Chris Walker (PC Larry Barton) I've never really got to know him as well as his wife, Gail, and his three kids, as the BBC put us all up in the same hotel when we were filming. So where do you live now? Well, I'm living with Danny in his house, but we have just bought our first house together. We were looking around for one to do up when we saw this beautiful neo-Georgian house in Cheshire and we both fell in love with it. It's my dream house - it's in the country and backs on to woods. We move in at the end of February. I can't wait! Do you have lots of rooms to fill? (laughs) I am sure we will be filling it in the future! I wanted enough rooms to have my family up to stay as I am very close to them and I get homesick. They've also become big Liverpool fans! Were you a football fan before you met Danny? I would watch all the England games but never really understood the difference between the Premiership and the FA Cup, that sort of thing! I now go to all the home games and some of the away games if they're in London. How did you meet him? I got a call from Merseybeat saying Louis Emerick wanted to speak to me. When I rang him he said there was this 'lovesick footballer' who wanted to ask me out on a date. What did you say? I said I wasn't interested in footballers. It would be just too much of a clich� and really tacky, especially as my Hollyoaks character had married a footballer in the soap. Louis said to me: 'Please do me a favour and let him take you to dinner, otherwise he won't let me have any more tickets to Liverpool games!' After the conversation, I found a picture of Danny playing and I thought: 'Oh no, he's really not my type'. But I was going for the wrong mould before! What presents did he give you for Christmas? He really spoilt me. My mum works for a jeweller and he rang her up and had this beautiful diamond bracelet and earrings made for me. But he did something even more thoughtful for me. He knows I get very homesick and so he got my mother to send up lots of old pictures of me and my family and had them beautifully framed. He also adopted a tiger and elephant for me, as he knows I loved the safari I went on last year, as well as Jimmy Choo boots and enough Jo Malone products that I could open my own shop! How do you know that Danny is the one? He is just the kindest man I've ever met. Before I met him I had a stereotypical view of footballers but he proved that to be wrong. So did my mum, and she is now Danny's biggest fan! As he's such a romantic, what do you think he has in store for Valentine's Day? I've told him not to do anything as he really spoilt me at Christmas. He probably won't be talking to me by then anyway as every time I talk about him or there is something about him in the papers, one of the football players, like Michael Owen, rips it out and puts it up on the notice board at work! What are your plans professionally after Merseybeat? I am very happy at the moment on Merseybeat. I really admire the other actors and I am still learning a lot from them. Eventually I would love to do a drama like Waking The Dead or Wire In The Blood but all in due time. Interview by Annabel Mackie |