Tess Character Page

Words to sum up Tess...

Matriarchal, calm, controlled, brittle, sharp.

In a nutshell...

Tess is a traditionalist - if there's a rule book then she's swallowed it. She's dedicated, well-balanced and has a lot of experience. She knows how to handle people and she's not out of her depth. She may be viewed as a kill-joy and inflexible but her immaculate, business-like front masks a wicked, dry, sense of humour. She's a control freak, not to be messed with.

Background...

Tess is third generation Jamaican but she was brought up in Cardiff, not that her heritage is key to her make-up, in fact it is over shadowed by her religious beliefs. Tess always looked up to her mother and the admirable way that she could juggle many tasks and be calm in a crisis.

Tess really loves spending time with her close family and her extended family. She's a regular church goer but she never brings that up.

Tess maintains a strong work ethic and a desire for order and efficiency in every aspect of her life. This manifested itself into denial and stress over the issue of her son Sam's mental illness.

Love life...

Married to Mike for 20 years, Tess always had a strong and successful marriage. They hit a difficult patch when Mike lost his job but on the whole Tess relied on Mike as a provider and a strong father while she has taken care of the more pastoral side of parenting. She was devastated when he filed for divorce. Tess has finally come to terms with her predicament...

Defining moments...

• Helping Sam to come to terms with being bi-polar
• Coming to the aid of some asylum seekers after their block of flats collapsed
• Being drugged and nearly killed by Sam's girlfriend, Fleur
• Being attacked and left for dead by Lewis, an agency nurse
• Being drunk on duty after discovering Mike wanted a divorce
• Closing the department, which led to the death of a patient
• Being impaled on a spike whilst chasing Sammy Malone

Fascinating facts...

• Suzanne's kid brother is champion Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson
• Her mother was a nurse
• Suzanne has a crush on actor Robert de Niro
• The best holiday she's been on was to Tobago in the Caribbean

What's Suzanne been in?

• Suzanne made a guest appearance as a patient in Casualty in 1995
• Her biggest role before Casualty was as Josie in Brookside

Suzanne on Tess

"I don't think I'm as bossy as Tess. I tend to let other people boss me around but only so far and then I will retaliate. Generally, I'm not as fiery as Tess."