What can we expect from Tina in 2012 then?  One thing is a changed body image. Since having a gastric band inserted in early 2010, the TV star has dropped an impressive nine and half stone, but is aiming to lose more. “I’m just under nine stone now and I’m seriously proud of that. I’d like to be seven stone ten though, so ideally I’d like to lose another 17 pounds.”

She goes on to explain: “It’s not about looking younger, it’s about my health. I’d got that fat that I was probably going to keel over and die, so my gastric band is my best friend now.” She admits though that despite leading “quite a clean and healthy life”, she “probably still eat[s] too much chocolate.”

Tina reveals that she is also planning to “have [her] boobs, belly and neck done” in 2012.

So where might we see Tina Malone in the next few years?  

“I would love to do Strictly Come Dancing. I love I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here and Dancing on Ice, but if I had to pick one out of the three it would be Strictly.”

She also told us that she would happily go over to America and work there for 12 months. “I like seeing people like Marianne Jean-Baptiste [Without a Trace] who’ve gone over to the US and been really successful.”

“Obviously I have the dreams of doing things like CSI and Boardwalk Empire… I’d love to work with Scorsese and Tarantino. “

And the aspirations don’t stop there. “There’s a lot of really good, classic theatre that I’d love to do: Mother Courage [and Her Children], Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare…” She adds: “You never stop toying with roles and dreaming of stuff that you would love to do.”

Tina has already dabbled in stage work as she starred as Marni Sweet in Jonathan Harvey’s, Guiding Star, in 1998, which she describes as being “amazing even though it was quite a traumatised role.”

The actress also has her own drama school in Manchester (she has lived there for the last three years) and is planning to launch another in Liverpool next month. “I don’t use the audition technique so basically anybody can join. I don’t care how old you are, how little experience you have or how advanced you are,” she explains. “If I can help get people into further education, drama school or professional work, then brilliant.”

The Shameless Series 8 and Shameless Series 1-8 boxsets are available to buy now.

 

Sophie Burluraux 

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