Coronation Street’s Kate Spencer reveals the awful racism her father had to endure

‘They thought he was breaking in’: Coronation Street’s Kate Spencer reveals the awful racism her father had to endure on his way to work


Coronation Street star Kate Spencer has told of the awful racism her father was subjected to and said she is pleased the soap is tackling the issue.

The actress, who plays Grace Vickers on the series, grew up in Derbyshire where her parents Don and Ann both worked as teachers.

Speaking to The Mirror, Kate revealed her father would arrive for work early and was previously mistaken for a burgar.

Candid: Coronation Street star Kate Spencer has told of the awful racism her father was subjected to and said she is pleased the soap is tackling the issue

She said: ‘He used to go into school really early and the police stopped him. He was dressed in a suit, but it was 6am and they thought he was breaking in. 

‘One time, when parked in the school playground, he had his car written off because n***a was keyed down one side of his car, the aerial was snapped off and all four tyres were punctured. 

‘He didn’t tell me everything, because he didn’t want to upset me or relive it – but there were occasions when it cropped up.’

Kate also revealed that when she was a teenager applying for jobs, her father advised her not to put a photo of herself on her CV.

Family: The actress, who plays Grace Vickers on the series, grew up in Derbyshire where her parents Don and Ann both worked as teachers (pictured with her parents and sister Yasmin)

Family: The actress, who plays Grace Vickers on the series, grew up in Derbyshire where her parents Don and Ann both worked as teachers (pictured with her parents and sister Yasmin)

The actress said she feels ‘very fortunate’ that neither she nor her sister Yasmin experienced much racism when they were growing up.

Kate praised Coronation Street for tackling racism in its storylines, including when her character was a victim of racial profiling by a store cop.

Grace’s on-off boyfriend Michael (Ryan Russell) and his brother James (Nathan Graham) were both arrested in a case of unconscious bias.

Along with her work on Coronation Street, Kate works in the box office at Derby Theatre while she also mentors young people in foster care.

Role: Kate praised Coronation Street for tackling racism in its storylines, including when her character was a victim of racial profiling by a store cop (pictured with co-star Ryan Russell)

Role: Kate praised Coronation Street for tackling racism in its storylines, including when her character was a victim of racial profiling by a store cop (pictured with co-star Ryan Russell)

It comes after Kate revealed she got engaged to her professional boxer boyfriend Paul Walker over the summer.

Uploading a series of teasing messages on her story, Kate wrote: ‘3 years ago he asked me what my perfect day consisted of. 

‘I said: “Get up early, train in the morning, some time to chill by myself, good food, good coffee, and do something theatre/acting related.

‘Yesterday, we went to the gym, had great coffee, learnt some lines for Corrie, went on a little walk, went to a pub, played backgammon, made tiramisu and ate steak.

‘It was perfect. And then this happened.’

Romance: It comes after Kate revealed she got engaged to her professional boxer boyfriend Paul Walker over the summer

Romance: It comes after Kate revealed she got engaged to her professional boxer boyfriend Paul Walker over the summer 

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