Claire Elizabeth Hardwick (probably better known as Charlie Hardwick; born 3 November 1960) is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 actress well known for her part in ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

's Emmerdale

Emmerdale

Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

as Val Pollard

Val Pollard

Valerie "Val" Pollard is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Charlie Hardwick...

.

Acting career

in addition to her ongoing role in Emmerdale, she also starred in the 2000 comedy film Purely Belter

Purely Belter

Purely Belter is a 2000 British comedy drama film directed by Mark Herman about two teenagers trying to get money, by any means necessary, in order to get season tickets for home games played by the FA Premier League football team Newcastle United.It is based on the novel The Season Ticket by...

, and won the best actress award at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival

Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo

The Monte-Carlo Television Festival was created in 16-20 January 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, who wished to “encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding between men”....

 in 1998 for her role in the film The Scar

The Scar (film)

The Scar is a 1976 Polish film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski. It was the director's first theatrical feature film.-External links:*...

, about a Durham

County Durham

County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

 pit community in crisis. She also starred as Sian in Byker Grove

Byker Grove

Byker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...

. Played the part of Mrs Castellino in the BBC Radio 4 production "The Little World of Don Camillo", and Our Mam in "My Uncle Freddie", both alongside fellow Emmerdale actor Shaun Prendergast (Greg Dolland). in 2007 Hardwick was an occasional contributor on Grumpy Old Women

Grumpy Old Women

For the live show, see Grumpy Old Women LiveGrumpy Old Women is a British television series, continuing in the same vein as its predecessor, Grumpy Old Men. Both programmes are shown on BBC Two. The first two series were narrated by Alison Steadman, and the third by Judith Holder...

.

Personal life

Hardwick is a fan of Newcastle United Football Club

Newcastle United F.C.

Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...

, holding a season ticket

Season ticket

A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...

 at St. James' Park, before starting work in Emmerdale

Emmerdale

Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...

, which meant spending lengthy periods of time away from Tyneside

Tyneside

Tyneside is a conurbation in North East England, defined by the Office of National Statistics, which is home to over 80% of the population of Tyne and Wear. It includes the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside — all settlements on...

. She is also a current smoker and prefers roll up cigarettes to ready-rolled cigarettes.