Hello, Robert. Thank you for taking time out of your day to sit down and chat with me. So, you’re well known for your show Lady of the Woods, are shows in England more risqué then the shows in America? Just how much did you have to, um, show of yourself?
Possibly, in terms of shows broadcast on mainstream UK television channels, which I think have more sex, nudity, swearing, and violence than shows I’ve seen shown on mainstream US television channels.
Lady of the Woods was a contemporary version of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, so there were ‘scenes of a sexual nature’, as they say! There was nudity, including a lot of close ups of my bum, but it was all integral to the plot and I’m very proud of the show.
What was your first impression of Jane? Were you instantly attracted to her?
Jane was the teacher at the family history evening classes I enrolled on to research my role as a genealogist in The Will. She’s a very good teacher who really knows her stuff, but there was a fragility about her (which I now know was due to the break up of her first marriage) but at the time it made me curious and I wanted to get to know her better. Looking back, yes, I do think I was instantly attracted to her.
When did you know that you wanted to be with Jane?
Very soon after meeting her. I used to go for a drink with her and some of the other family history students after class and I enjoyed her company. When I had a problem in my own family tree, and Jane and I met up on our own to discuss it, our relationship built from there.
Prior to Jane, were relationships hard to maintain? Is Jane the first woman that you have dated that was not in the same career as you?
Since I became an actor, yes, and yes, she is. Naively, I thought it would be easier to only date actresses but as my career progressed I found that I didn’t like being in, and being referred to as, one half of a celebrity couple. Yes, it did cause friction and, yes, it did lead to the break up of that relationship but it made me realize that I needed to be with someone who wasn’t an actress or famous in any way. I just needed someone who was practical and down to earth and who could look past the characters I’ve played and just see me. I was lucky enough to find that someone in Jane.
You have seriously never looked yourself up on the internet? Have you looked at things that people write about you since you first looked?
I did when I started out as an actor, and for a few years afterwards, but when I found a website full of animated GIFS of my bum (just after Lady of the Woods was broadcast) I stopped. It was just far too weird!
I did put my name and profession into a search engine at Jane’s house once and the first website I looked at had an eight page discussion on my buttocks! So the stuff on the internet about me is still far too weird and I won’t be looking myself up again any time soon!
Why were you willing to give things up with Jane so easily? You left without a fight, when she told you she just wants normal.
I was in love with Jane but I wasn’t going to force her to stay with me. A relationship with me isn’t an easy thing to take on as it’s not just me, it’s the fact that I am well known, too, and there are all the things which come with that. Jane couldn’t handle all that at the time and, although it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, I had to respect her decision and walk away.
How was it living without Jane when the two of you were separated?
Horrible. It brought out the complete worst in me, and some of it played out in public so it was doubly horrible, and I hope I’ll never have to go through anything like that ever again.
How is your relationship with your parents now?
We’re taking things slowly but it’s good and getting better all the time.
Do you and Jane plan on having children?
Yes, we do, hopefully in a year or two’s time.
What has Jane come to mean to you?
Everything. She keeps me grounded and sane! She also tells me when I look like a complete dork in promotional photographs! LOL
Sudden Death:
Craziest place you have had sex?
As an actor, I had to film a love scene for Lady of the Woods in a tree house high up on stilts in the middle of a forest. I’m still amazed the whole thing didn’t collapse!
In my private life? Sorry but it’s private! Jane would kill me if I divulged that kind of information!
Favourite Drink?
I drink a lot of water – still water not fizzy – but my favorite alcoholic drink is white wine. Red wine goes straight to my head and you really don’t want to hear me sing!
Weirdest American Term?
Sorry to be immature, but it has to be Fanny Pack! Fanny means something different over here! LOL
Favourite place to touch a woman?
Her neck. With my lips.
If you couldn’t be an actor, what would be your second choice?
I’ve wanted to be an actor since I was fifteen, there was no second choice for me, and I’ve been incredibly lucky and grateful that it’s all worked out.
Silk or cotton?
Cotton. It’s cooler and I prefer how it feels against my skin.
Guilty pleasure food?
Pepperoni pizza.
Favourite pick up line?
I’ve never used one! I’ve always preferred to talk to a woman rather than just spin her a line.
Thanks for interviewing me!
Jane Hollinger is the wrong side of thirty, divorced and struggling to pay the mortgage her cheating ex left her with. As a qualified genealogist, teaching family history evening classes is a way for her to make ends meet. But she begins to wonder if it’s such a good idea when a late enroller for the class is a little… odd. “Badly-blond Bloke” both scares and intrigues Jane, and when she discovers he is her all-time favourite actor and huge crush, Robert Armstrong, she’s stunned. Even more stunning to Jane is the fact that Robert is interested in her romantically. He’s everything she ever dreamed of, and more, but can she overcome her fear of living in the public eye to be with the man she loves?
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Lorna Peel 