Casualty star Amanda Mealing discovered she was adopted at a wedding aged 30

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Former Casualty star Amanda Mealing has opened up about discovering she was adopted.

The actress and director, 54, who is best known for playing Connie Beauchamp on the BBC soap and sister show Holby City, opened up about learning the news when she was 30.

Appearing on yesterday's (October 20) Good Morning Britain, co-host Susanna Reid brought up the topic: "This was through a conversation you had with a relative at a wedding and that actually your paternal grandparents were from Ghana?"

Photo credit: ITV
Photo credit: ITV

Related: Casualty: an oral history by its stars and creators

"They were from Ghana, [and] they were from part of the Ashanti tribe," the actress explained.

Amanda went on to reveal that a cousin at the event told her, elaborating: "You know what it's like at weddings, everyone gets drunk and all the old stories come out.

"It's been a long-standing joke because I didn't look like anyone in my family. And that same old joke came out, he said, 'Well that's because you're adopted,' and it was just silence."

Photo credit: Adrian Rogers - BBC
Photo credit: Adrian Rogers - BBC

Amanda left the role of Connie earlier this year, though is taking an extended break and is expected to return in the future.

Explaining her hiatus to Digital Spy, the actress said in April: "I've been on the show for nearly seven years and it can be full-on.

"When we went back after the COVID episode, I'd worked 73 out of 80 days. My spare time is also taken up with directing and making short films for my production company. I was very tired and so I have been enjoying catching up on sleep.

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

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"It's very similar to Connie in a way – she needed to spend more time with [her daughter] Grace and I needed to take some time out of work too."

Amanda has since been busy directing episodes of Coronation Street, where she even reunited with former Casualty co-star Jane Hazlegrove (Kathleen 'Dixie' Dixon), who now plays Bernie Winter on the ITV soap.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV. Casualty airs on Saturdays on BBC One.


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