Catherine for The Inheritance / Channel 4
Age: 50
From: Wales
Occupation: Former Police Sergeant
Why did you apply to take part?
“I wanted to do something completely different, something completely out of my comfort zone. I am just a 50-year-old woman who has had her career and is now in a kind of different stage of her life. And I’m so competitive, and I just really want to do something for me, so not as a cop or not as a mum, not as a wife, but something for me. Just to say I did this on my own, you know? It’s a challenge.”
Tell us about yourself!
“I worked in the police for 22 years. It’s all I’ve known for most of my early adult life. I joined at just 20 and then left at 42, so it’s a huge part of me and who I am. I now work as a therapy dog handler. I’ve got a dog; a cockapoo and he’s our pet dog. He’s 10 and is so adorable. I take him into schools and nursing homes and just enjoy watching them interact with him. He’s a greedy dog, so he enjoys the biscuits too!
“Having had the kind of interactions that I’ve had in life through my work – previously and now – I am used to meeting completely different people every single day and quickly learning how to communicate with them in all manner of situations. Being polite, being empathetic, a little bit forceful when needed, a little bit direct because you need to be at times. I’m not afraid, through my policing, to speak up when I don’t think something is right.”
Are you good at influencing others?
“I think I am. I think I’ve got a personality that is quite endearing, I’m chatty and people gravitate towards me. I will confide in the right people and people confide in me. I’m quite good at steering a conversation, absolutely.”
What would you spend the money on?
“First of all, I would love to take us all on holiday. I come from a working-class family. My dad was a steel worker. My mum and dad are both pensioners now and they don’t treat themselves and go on holidays. I’d love for us all to go together, because time is precious. Both of them suffer with their health and you just think, let’s do it while we can, treat the whole family and make some memories.”
The Inheritance begins tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
