Sian Gibson is known as one of Peter Kay’s closest co-stars, but she was forced to work in a call centre even after finding fame
Sian Gibson found fame alongside Peter Kay (Image: Getty)
Peter Kay’s co-star Sian Gibson was left working in a call centre after finding fame alongside the comedy icon. Before she shot to fame as the loveable Kayleigh Kitson in Car Share – a role she kept from 2015 until 2020 – Sian was left to fend for herself, and had to work a normal job in between her acting work.
That’s despite already having starred alongside Peter Kay in shows like Phoenix Nights in 2001 and That Peter Kay Thing in the late nineties. She played a young Mary in Phoenix Nights, and appeared as Yvonne in two episodes of Kay’s sketch show.
She was working at a call centre before Car Share (Image: BBC)
Sian even went on to star in several soaps, appearing in two episodes of Emmerdale and two episodes of Coronation Street in the early 2000s. In 2007, she appeared in Hollyoaks as Tessie for four episodes. Despite later landing roles in everything from Death in Paradise to The League of Gentlemen, Sian says acting work dried up before 2015.
She explained to The Independent: “I was just sick of going to auditions for parts which were three lines. You know, ‘That’s £1.99 please, love’. I’ve got a mortgage to pay. I was doing rubbish jobs and it was soul-destroying. There’s only so long you can go on.
“It had just run its course and I was getting on with my life as it was. I wasn’t waiting for the phone to ring – it had gone past that.” She landed a job at Card One Banking, admitting she stayed in the role for years “because the people were nice and it was next door to a lovely garden centre that did the best toasties… I’m still not entirely sure what they did.”
Sian told Peter she “didn’t mind” if he brought in a better known actress for the role, suggesting Suranne Jones or Sheridan Smith – but he even offered her media training to get her ready to greet the public eye once more.
Kay warned Sian: “It’s going to change your life,” and with millions tuning into the BBC sitcom – and the biggest sitcom to premiere on any channel since 2011 when it launched – it definitely did.
