Katherine Parkinson, the star of Disney's Rivals, has spoken publicly for the first time about a horrific assault that left her unconscious, hospitalised, and with a broken nose. The 48-year-old actress, who plays Danny Dyer's on-screen lover Lizzie Vereker in the bonkbuster series, revealed the attack occurred early in her career when she tried to defend a female friend from a male attacker.
The Attack
Parkinson recounted the incident on the How To Fail podcast, explaining it happened just before she landed her first TV roles in Casualty and Extras in 2005. At the time, she was a struggling stage actress staying in cheap accommodation in a town outside London. Walking back from the theatre with a colleague, they encountered a man with a history of similar violence.
"A guy who had previous form of doing this got into a bit of a disagreement with this colleague of mine," Parkinson said. "I said 'leave her alone' and he knocked me out cold and broke my nose. He was, I think, immediately arrested. He certainly went to prison for ABH."
Victim-Blaming and Shame
The mother of two, who recently won her second Bafta for the BBC Three comedy Here We Go, said the ordeal did not end with the attack. While recovering in hospital, she faced judgment rather than sympathy. "I remember somebody saying to me, 'What were you doing?' There was a sense that I had brought it on myself," she recalled.
Parkinson, who studied at Oxford University, said the judgment was compounded by social dynamics. Surrounded by wealthier friends, she often felt treated as a "cheaper commodity"—people would offer lifts to others but not to her. "When, you know, I was just as vulnerable," she added.
Return to Work and Lasting Impact
Despite her injuries, Parkinson returned to work immediately. "I put an eye patch on and was on stage in a different city the next week," she said. However, she endured stares from strangers. "I had a terribly messed-up face for a while and I felt a judgment from people that didn't know me, that I was a hard person that lived a hard life. And that couldn't have been further from the truth."
She criticised the lack of support from the industry at the time. "There was no counselling, no real pastoral care. It was a bit embarrassing for people to see."
Now married to actor Harry Peacock, Parkinson—who will play matriarch Molly Weasley in the new HBO Harry Potter series—says the assault left a lasting legacy, particularly as a parent. "I'm really neurotic when it comes to my daughters about walking anywhere on their own," she admitted.
But she is finally making peace with the experience. "I'm giving myself, now I'm 48, just a bit more licence to realise that your experience informs who you are. Unfortunately, a literal smack in the face changes you. I think just talking about it is good."
