# Tricia Penrose
**Tricia Penrose** (birth name Patricia Penrose) is an English actress, singer, and businesswoman, best known for playing the barmaid Gina Ward in the ITV 1960s period police drama *[Heartbeat](https://www.edgepedia.org/heartbeat-british-tv-series)*, from 1993 to 2010. Born in 1970 in Kirkby, Liverpool, Merseyside, she has also appeared in *Brookside*, *Boon*, *Emmerdale*, *Coronation Street*, *The Royal*, and *Justice*, and has pursued a parallel singing and radio career.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/) • [2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, Kirkby, Liverpool, Merseyside, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/) |
| Signature role | Gina Ward in *Heartbeat*, 1993–2010; her official site says over 300 episodes and calls her the longest serving cast member, while IMDb lists 338 episodes from 1993 to 2009[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/) |
| Music TV | Reached the "A Song for Europe" Eurovision selection final in 2002; won the *Stars in Their Eyes* Christmas edition in 2004 performing as Brenda Lee[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) |
| First roles | WPC Emma Reid in *Brookside* (1987) and Lindy Yates in a 1987 *Boon* episode[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) |
| Later ventures | Co-owner of the Goathland Hotel, the pub used as the Aidensfield Arms in *Heartbeat*; runs Simply Luxury Travel[3](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cx2v7857z1vo) • [4](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/triciapenrose) |
| Charity work | Patron of the Endeavour Project, supporting victims of domestic abuse[5](https://endeavourproject.org.uk/tricia-penrose) |
## Early career
Penrose trained at the Elliott-Clarke Drama School in Liverpool; her mother Sue Gordon later recalled that she was "always doing shows in the garage" as a child.[6](https://healthmedicinet.com/i-gave-up-acting-in-a-heartbeat/) As a teenager she formed a singing duo called Second Image with her mother, performing in local nightclubs.[6](https://healthmedicinet.com/i-gave-up-acting-in-a-heartbeat/)
Her first professional acting role came in 1987 as WPC Emma Reid in the Channel 4 Liverpool soap *Brookside*, created by Phil Redmond, followed by an appearance as Lindy Yates in the *Boon* episode "A Ride on the Wild Side" alongside [Michael Elphick](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-elphick).[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) In the late 1980s she appeared in the film *Vroom* (credited as Trisha Penrose, playing a supermarket girl) and in an episode of *Medics* as Jean, and she had a small part in *Dancin' Thru the Dark* (1990).[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [7](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/biography/) These appearances led to roles in the major British soaps: *Emmerdale* in 1991, where she played Louise, and two episodes of *Coronation Street* in 1991 and 1992 as a receptionist.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/)
## Heartbeat
*Heartbeat*, broadcast from 1992 to 2010 with 18 series, is a 1960s period police drama based on the "Constable" novels of Peter N. Walker, set in the fictional [North Yorkshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-yorkshire) village of Aidensfield and the town of Ashfordly.[8](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/heartbeat/) Penrose joined in series 2 as Gina Ward, a Liverpudlian barmaid at the Aidensfield Arms who later became the landlady, arriving in the role with a bright red [Isetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/isetta) bubble car.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [8](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/heartbeat/) Her official site describes her as the show's longest serving cast member, appearing in over 300 episodes between 1993 and 2010; IMDb credits her with 338 episodes from 1993 to 2009.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/) The show aired in a prime time Sunday evening slot, with weekly viewing figures regularly exceeding 10 million.[8](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/heartbeat/)
Gina's long-running on-screen relationship with the policeman Phil Bellamy, played by Mark Jordon, was one of the show's central storylines; the characters married on screen in series 17.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [9](https://cstonline.tv/heartbeat) During the *Heartbeat* years Penrose also appeared as Gina Ward in two 2003 episodes of the spin-off series *The Royal*.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) Her original contract on the show was for 12 months and turned into 18 years of association with the series, according to a cast retrospective.[9](https://cstonline.tv/heartbeat)
## Singing and television appearances
Penrose released two singles produced by [Simon Cowell](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-cowell), "Where Did Our Love Go?" (1996, UK No. 71) and "Don't Wanna Be Alone" (2000, UK No. 44); the music video for the first was filmed on the *Heartbeat* set and featured cast members.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) In 2002 she reached the final of "A Song for Europe", the UK's selection competition for the [Eurovision Song Contest](https://www.edgepedia.org/eurovision-song-contest), without winning.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) In 2004 she won the Christmas edition of *Stars in Their Eyes*, performing [Brenda Lee](https://www.edgepedia.org/brenda-lee)'s "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"; she had previously appeared on the show performing as Lisa Stansfield.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [7](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/biography/)
She has been a frequent quiz and reality show contestant, with appearances including *Celebrity MasterChef* (2010), *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?* (2007), *Celebrity Mastermind*, *Pointless Celebrities*, *The Weakest Link*, and *Celebrity Big Brother*.[7](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/biography/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tricia-penrose/credits/3000409131/) In 2011 she played Haley Gosling in three episodes of the legal drama *Justice*.[2](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/)
## Radio and business
She launched the fully independent travel company Simply Luxury Travel, selling four and five star holidays.[4](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/triciapenrose)
In 2026 she and two co-owners bought the Goathland Hotel in Goathland, North Yorkshire, the pub used as the exterior of the Aidensfield Arms in *Heartbeat*, with plans for Heartbeat-themed rooms, quiz nights, and regular singing appearances behind the bar.[3](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cx2v7857z1vo) • [11](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/tricia-penrose-i-bought-my-first-car-as-a-young-actress-on-brookside-8955816)
## Personal life and charity work
Penrose married the businessman and property developer Mark Simpkin in 2003; the couple had two sons, Jake and Freddy, and divorced in 2021.[12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/bio/) • [13](https://northernlifemagazine.co.uk/exclusive-interview-with-tricia-penrose/) She married Chris Hargreaves in 2026.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/) In 2010 her mother Sue Gordon was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, and Penrose stepped back from television to care for her; her mother was treated at The Christie cancer center, for which Penrose later ran to raise funds.[6](https://healthmedicinet.com/i-gave-up-acting-in-a-heartbeat/) • [14](https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2016-04-04/actress-to-run-for-the-christie-after-it-saved-her-mum)
She is a patron of the Endeavour Project, a charity supporting victims of domestic abuse, and chose it as her charity when appearing on *Celebrity Mastermind*; she also supports the charity's Pet Service, which helps families stay safe together.[5](https://endeavourproject.org.uk/tricia-penrose)
## References
1. [Tricia Penrose, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/)
2. [About Me, Official Tricia Penrose Website](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/about-me/)
3. [Heartbeat's onscreen barmaid makes character's life reality, BBC News](https://bbc.com.im/news/articles/cx2v7857z1vo)
4. [Tricia Penrose, LinkedIn](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/triciapenrose)
5. [Tricia Penrose, Endeavour Project](https://endeavourproject.org.uk/tricia-penrose)
6. [I gave up acting in a Heartbeat, healthmedicinet (Daily Mail feature)](https://healthmedicinet.com/i-gave-up-acting-in-a-heartbeat/)
7. [Tricia Penrose Biography, Official Tricia Penrose Website](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/biography/)
8. [Heartbeat TV series, Official Tricia Penrose Website](https://triciapenrose.co.uk/heartbeat/)
9. [Heartbeat Cast: Who Played Who in the Classic ITV Drama, CST Online](https://cstonline.tv/heartbeat)
10. [Tricia Penrose List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tricia-penrose/credits/3000409131/)
11. [Tricia Penrose: "I bought my first car as a young actress on Brookside", The Yorkshire Post](https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/tricia-penrose-i-bought-my-first-car-as-a-young-actress-on-brookside-8955816)
12. [Tricia Penrose Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672297/bio/)
13. [We visit Tricia Penrose at her Cheshire home, Northern Life Magazine](https://northernlifemagazine.co.uk/exclusive-interview-with-tricia-penrose/)
14. [Actress to run for The Christie after it saved her mum, ITV News Granada](https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2016-04-04/actress-to-run-for-the-christie-after-it-saved-her-mum)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames N to R*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license