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Actress Sandy
Ratcliff's life after leaving her role as Sue in 1989 reads like an Albert Square plotline. After struggling with heroin addiction, she played a starring role at the 1991 Old Bailey trial of her ex Michael Shorey, claiming they were making love at the time he was accused of killing two
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after he was accused of killing two women. Despite
Ratcliff giving him an alibi (she claimed in the witness box that they were making love at the time) he was found guilty and is now serving two life sentences for murder. His court case was to be her last public appearance.
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Ratcliff died in her sleep and her body was found on 7 April 2019. She was 70 years old. In
October 2019, the coroner's court attributed her death to taking an excessive amount of morphine due to a terminal lung condition.
126:(2 October 1948 – 7 April 2019) was an English actress, model and counsellor. She made an impression as a model and film actress in the 1970s, but she became known for being one of the original cast members of the
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young women. He was jailed for life for murder. She now ekes out a living doing part time jobs and lives in a run-down ground floor flat on a busy road in North London with her partner.
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for selling it. She had numerous jobs before she took up acting, including waitressing, disc-jockeying and performing as a guitarist in the rock groups
Tropical Appetite and Escalator.
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Ratcliff, the daughter of an insurance salesman, had a turbulent youth. After being expelled from school at the age of 12, within two years she was heavily smoking
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In later life, Ratcliff no longer used heroin and lived on a £70 a week disability allowance. She suffered three strokes and was diagnosed with cancer.
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but left the role in 1989. In 2010, she revealed that she had retired from acting to train as a counsellor.
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in 1968. They broke up and by 1973 she had her only son, William, by theatre director
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teenager. This was followed by roles in slightly less well-received films including
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224:(1979). Ratcliff subsequently acted in several television productions including
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Ratcliff's career changed direction at 23, when she made a big impression as a
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In 1991, her then boyfriend
Michael Shorey stood trial at the
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and was cast as "The face of the '70s" by royal photographer
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1017:"EastEnders: We track down the soap stars who left Walford"
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addiction and she was written out of the show in 1989.
307:. Off-screen Ratcliff was struggling with a publicised
16:English actress, model, and counsellor (1948–2019)
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1181:"EastEnders actress Sandy Ratcliff dies aged 70"
357:Ratcliff married photographer Peter Wright in
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1097:Foster, Alistair (27 February 2006).
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1116:Bonnici, Tony (12 February 2005).
1052:Hayward, Anthony (10 April 2019).
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314:Her television appearances after
1291:People from Islington (district)
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1015:Myall, Steve (8 February 2010).
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1099:"How did they all eastend up?"
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1161:Harp, Justin (8 April 2019).
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891:Series regular; 271 episodes
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1261:English soap opera actresses
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1054:"Sandy Ratcliff obituary"
962:Kingsley, Hilary (1990).
303:, infidelity and finally
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965:The EastEnders Handbook
211:. She also appeared in
1271:English film actresses
1236:British Film Institute
1118:"Square Are They Now?"
1276:Actresses from London
863:The Balance of Nature
1103:The Evening Standard
922:Ernestine Jussiaume
999:The Daily Telegraph
433:The Final Programme
192:The Final Programme
285:in the BBC serial
124:Alexandra Ratcliff
56:Alexandra Ratcliff
975:978-0-685-52957-7
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83:(2019-04-07)
81:7 April 2019
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37:Ratcliff as
18:
1256:2019 deaths
1251:1948 births
1167:Digital Spy
696:Carmen Fox
543:9 episodes
524:Liz Jenner
519:The Sweeney
493:2 episodes
475:7 episodes
450:Centre Play
415:Family Life
389:Filmography
336:(1990) and
249:The Sweeney
215:'s British
213:Chris Petit
201:(1979) and
182:Family Life
130:soap opera
94:Occupations
1245:Categories
950:References
943:1 episode
935:Screen Two
925:1 episode
907:1 episode
881:EastEnders
876:1985–1989
853:1 episode
837:1 episode
814:Doll's Eye
805:1 episode
787:1 episode
751:1 episode
717:1 episode
709:Shoestring
699:1 episode
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675:Danger UXB
647:Main role
644:Charmaine
631:1 episode
613:1 episode
595:1 episode
579:1 episode
576:Lana Cork
561:1 episode
527:1 episode
509:1 episode
502:Whodunnit?
467:Crossroads
457:1 episode
370:Old Bailey
359:Kensington
347:counsellor
316:EastEnders
288:EastEnders
266:Ray Davies
255:Shoestring
217:road movie
144:Early life
133:EastEnders
106:counsellor
62:1948-10-02
44:EastEnders
1205:3 October
1076:The Stage
904:Patricia
887:Sue Osman
324:opposite
301:cot death
293:Ali Osman
283:Sue Osman
272:musical,
174:Ken Loach
138:Sue Osman
117:1970–1994
72:, England
70:Islington
39:Sue Osman
1199:BBC News
802:Barbara
744:Premiere
680:Rosalyn
657:Radio On
342:(1994).
305:insanity
221:Radio On
195:(1973),
150:cannabis
1234:at the
1146:2 April
1082:2 April
917:Maigret
834:Sandra
830:Shelley
766:Olympia
748:Muriel
536:Couples
321:Maigret
261:Shelley
232:Couples
100:Actress
1026:13 May
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850:Alice
818:Maggie
797:Minder
662:Kathy
605:Hazell
588:Target
405:Notes
363:London
309:heroin
243:Target
227:Minder
160:Career
154:prison
930:1994
912:1992
896:1990
868:Julie
842:1982
826:1982
821:Film
792:1982
784:Ruby
774:1980
769:Film
761:Hussy
740:1979
735:Film
704:1979
688:1979
670:1979
665:Film
652:1979
636:1978
618:1978
600:1978
584:1977
566:1977
558:Mimi
548:1976
532:1976
514:1975
498:1975
480:1974
462:1974
454:Girl
446:1973
441:Film
438:Jenny
423:Film
399:Title
380:Death
270:Kinks
204:Hussy
177:BAFTA
166:model
103:model
1227:IMDb
1207:2019
1148:2021
1084:2021
1028:2018
970:ISBN
940:Meg
858:1983
810:1982
756:1980
732:Rita
722:1979
692:Kids
628:Mum
428:1973
410:1971
402:Role
396:Year
330:BBC2
258:and
78:Died
52:Born
1225:at
128:BBC
41:in
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