THE devastating deaths of both her parents helped Suranne Jones to create her new ITV drama, the actress has revealed.
Suranne, 44, co-created three-part series Maryland with screenwriter Anne-Marie O'Connor and is an executive producer on the show, which is co-made by her own company, Teamakers Productions.
The Gentleman Jack actress also stars in the drama as Manchester-born Rebecca, whose mum Mary dies on the Isle of Man.
Rebecca and her estranged sister Rosaline - played by Eve Best - travel there to retrieve their mum's body but learn that she was living a double life.
In an interview with The Sun's TV Mag this Saturday, Suranne reveals that the tragic loss of her parents meant she had first-hand experience of the bereavement at the heart of the drama.
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Her mum Jenny passed away in 2016 after a battle with dementia and her dad Chris died in 2021 from a coronavirus-related illness.
Suranne said: "It's no secret that I've lost both of my parents, so obviously I know grief and that was a huge part of our conversations and what that does to someone.
"It's either going to come or people have experienced it, and this show doesn't deal with it quickly, it deals with it over three episodes, the stages of grief.
"There's humour in it and it's not an easy, straightforward ride. You don't get a blueprint of how you're going to feel.
"Knowing sickness, knowing illness, knowing grief, knowing death was a huge part of it and I think we're both really proud of how that turned out."
Maryland airs from Monday 22 May to Wednesday 24 May at 9pm on ITV1.
TV Mag is free inside The Sun every Saturday.
