BEST OF BURTON
Who is Amanda Burton and is she returning to Silent Witness permanently?
AMANDA Burton has a long history on prime time British television.
In May 2022 the legendary actress thrilled fans by returning to BBC One show Silent Witness.
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Who is Amanda Burton?
Amanda Burton, 65, is a Northern Irish actress.
She is best known for playing forensic pathologist Sam Ryan in Silent Witness, and starting her career as Heather Black from Channel 4 soap Brookside.
Amanda, who was born in Londonderry, has always wanted to be an actress.
As a teen, she left her home in Northern Ireland for Manchester, to study at drama school.
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Is Amanda Burton returning to Silent Witness permanently?
Amanda first appeared in Silent Witness as the lead role of pathologist Sam Ryan in 1996.
She starred in 54 episodes before leaving in 2004, when her character returned home to Northern Ireland to be with her family.
In May 2022 she returned to the show in the same role, after 18 years away.
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sadly, she won't be back full time.
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The actress told : "No. No more Silent Witness."
She added: "This has been so special and gorgeous, and to be a part of this landmark celebration of the 25th anniversary is enough."
What TV shows has Amanda Burton appeared on?
In 2021, Amanda portrayed Katherine Maguire in ITV's Marcella.
Her character is the powerful matriarch at the head of a criminal family in Belfast.
Marcella was filmed on location in Burton's native Northern Ireland, a poignant experience for the actress.
Amanda told the : “This time we were filming in places where it just wouldn’t have been possible to film back then.
"It was quite extraordinary and evoked a lot of emotional memories for me being there.”
Amanda went on to play steely police commander Clare Blake in ITV1’s The Commander.
Aside from crime drama, she played Beth Glover in Peak Practice and Karen Fisher in Waterloo Road.
Amanda also portrayed a woman with terminal cancer in 1998 BBC drama The Gift.
She has had other TV roles in The Whistle-Blower, Little Bird and children's drama Pollyanna.
Amanda starred in her first film in 2008, crime biopic Bronson opposite Tom Hardy.
Is Amanda Burton married?
Amanda married her first husband, theatre technician Jonathan Hartley, in 1976.
The pair first met at Manchester School of Theatre, where they both studied.
They were married for six years before divorcing in 1982.
She later married photographer Sven Arnstein in 1989, but the pair divorced in 2004 amid rumours of his infidelity.
Since 2008 Amanda has been in a relationship with photographer Stephen Colover.
She told the : "I’m very much in love and it’s rather gorgeous. It’s like having a light inside.
"Falling in love is totally different at this age because you’re with someone because you want to be with him or her and for no other reason.
"You aren’t going to produce children and that changes everything."
How many children does she have?
Amanda has two daughters, Phoebe Marie (born in 1989) and Brid Irina (born in 1991).
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Brid is a writer and actress, and wrote a short film named The Dog With The Woman, in which her mother starred.
Phoebe is a photographer and filmmaker, and directed a campaign for David Beckham Fragrances.
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