25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
BBC Death Valley star on what's 'haunted her entire life' as health diagnosis help with new role
BBC Death Valley star on what's 'haunted her entire life' as health diagnosis help with new role
Gwyneth Keyworth stars opposite Timothy Spall in BBC One's new drama, Death Valley, but the actress has opened up about her struggles with ADHD.
Gwyneth Keyworth plays Janie, a Welsh detective with an obsession for old TV detective shows
(Image: BBC/BBC Studios/Jay Brooks )
Being neurodivergent can be challenging, as actress Gwyneth Keyworth recently confessed, her condition can sometimes be difficult to manage and even admitted "that has haunted me my entire life."
Whilst in a BAFTA Cymru Q&A session for her new BBC comedy crime drama Death Valley, the actress told the audience how there are some parallels between her and her character Janie when it comes to neurodiversity. Gwyneth, who has been diagnosed with ADHD said that she had struggled growing up with the condition.
Her new series, follows her character Janie Mallowan, a Welsh detective sergeant who teams up with her favourite actor John Chapel, played by Timothy Spall, to solve crimes around the Welsh Valleys. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter .
Gwyneth told the audience that she worked with the writer to reflect her own neurodiversity in her character after saying that her ADHD "has haunted me my entire life."
She said: "I'm diagnosed ADHD, and when I was in school in a certain system it was really hard, but in real life there's always some real pros to it.
"So, it was really about letting that be part of Janie, because she doesn't work the way everyone else works, but the way she does work - works for her."
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She also added that despite struggling herself with the condition: "I think that's the lovely thing about how Janie's been written, is it is not a hindrance."
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Recently she also confessed that she wouldn't be able to take on a career as a detective. She admitted: "I'm definitely not built for detective work. I have , I can't keep track of anything!"
The actress added: "Janie and I are both scatty. I am always losing stuff, but Janie is more direct than I am and a lot more blunt. I like her commitment to being good at her job and how she won't let anyone get in the way of it."
Despite being her first leading role, Gwyneth has previously starred in numerous large scale projects. This includes another BBC series set in Wales, Lost Boys & Fairies, where she played the character Becky. She has also starred in Game of Thrones, Netflix's Black Mirror, The Crown and also Misfits.
She also spoke of working with Timothy Spall and said that her co-star looked out for her on set. Gwyneth said: "He is the best and not only is he an amazing actor, but he is also a really nice and kind person.
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"I learnt so much from him especially on how to approach leading a series. We became really good friends, and I always knew he had my back, he would say: 'take a minute, we've got this.'"
Death Valley will air on Sunday, May 25 at 8.15pm on BBC One, however the whole boxset will be launching on BBC iPlayer at the same time.
