TV soap expert Sharon Marshall reckons Barbados is bliss

Sharon Marshall has some great memories of Barbados and can’t wait to visit Tuscany.

Sharon Marshall is the resident soap expert on This Morning. She’s spent the past decade discussing the ins and outs of the fictional characters of the nation’s TV favourites.

And when she’s not commenting on what’s going on in the shows, she’s creating those very dramas.

Former showbiz reporter Sharon has also been a scriptwriter for the BBC’s EastEnders for the past two years, working on some of the show’s biggest plots.

42-year-old Sharon and boyfriend Paul live in London. Sharon is on This Morning on Tuesday and Thursday’s ITV 10.30am.

She told The Sunday Post that Barbados was her holiday highlight.

“Family holidays were usually to the South of France. Because we lived in Lancashire it was a massive drive and Mum and Dad would bundle us in the car at four in the morning.

“We used to go with our neighbours. There were no mobile phones in those days and we’d forever lose them. I remember driving round endless roundabouts looking for their car.

“At the time I didn’t really see the point of being strapped into the back of a car listening to a lot of Vangelis. But now I’d like to go back to France and explore a bit more.

“Actually, the very first foreign holiday my parents had was to Romania. I was just a little kid and all I remember was how excited I was that everyone spoke a foreign language.

“But my mum and dad told me recently it was an absolute hellhole of a hotel and they hated it! Paul and I went to Barbados in January and it brought back some great memories.

“In my showbiz reporting days we used to take the girls from Coronation Street, like Suranne Jones, across for photoshoots and the like. I remember one time we arrived at the same time as Simon Cowell.

“He was in the next little bay and we’d entertain ourselves watching all the paparazzi scooting over trying to get a picture of him. But Barbados is simply the most beautiful, friendly place, no matter which coast you go to.

“The food’s amazing, with a great fish market, and the weather usually is too. There’s a restaurant called Lone Star that’s really famous and you’d see the most amazing sunsets.

“We’d go on the reggae buses yellow buses with music blasting out. You’re probably taking your life in your hands, but they take you all over the island for very little money.

“And the little rum bars are always a fun night out. Paul and I are also looking at booking a trip to Tuscany soon. I know Gino D’Acampo and as he’s Italian I thought he’d be the ideal person to give me some pointers.

“But he turned out to be a bit rubbish as he’d never been very much. He’s been filming there for a new series, though, so he’s promised he’ll be more of a help when he gets back.

“It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go. The only time I’ve been was half a day on a coach arguing with Cannon and Ball. So I’d love to see it for real!”