Actress Ashley Jensen is currently playing a cop with a secret past in crime drama Shetland, but she’s had to battle her own family troubles in her real life – not least her absent dad.
Ashley, 54, portrays DI Ruth Calder in the popular BBC show, who replaced favourite Douglas Henshall in series 8. Ruth reluctantly arrived on Shetland to follow an investigation, but viewers soon learnt she was born on the Scottish island. She has a past she wants to forget, and a troubled relationship with her dad…
And the dramatic storyline isn’t so different from her own childhood. While Ruth’s Reverend dad disapproved of his daughter’s behaviour, Ashley’s dad just disappeared.
Here’s everything you need to know about Shetland star Ashley Jensen’s difficult relationship with her dad, who spoke to the press after she became famous.
Who are Ashley Jensen’s mum and dad?
Ashley Jensen was born on August 11, 1969, in Annan, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. She was raised by her mother, Margaret, in Annan, until she left home at 14 to study drama at the National Youth Theatre in London.
Speaking about her mum, Ashley once said: “My mum Margaret was a single parent but, though life was a bit of a struggle, she gave me every encouragement.”
Talking to the Guardian about the beginnings of her career in acting, Ashley recently revealed her mum was an early audience member: “Making people laugh was always something I enjoyed. It’s an intoxicating feeling to command the atmosphere of a room in a positive way. Even before I started doing theatre I was a comedy-centric child and a keen observer of people. I’d do daft voices and put on little shows for my mum. At school I always felt like I was an outsider, but in a positive, eccentric way.”
She went on to say: “I loved to dress up, and could often be found painting freckles on my face or sticking a bit of facial hair on my chin so I could look like a man. My mum used to say to me, ‘Why are you dressing like that?’ because I’d experiment with weird clothes.”
Ashley Jensen’s dad Ivar Jensen was not around during her childhood, or since. He left the family home when Ashley was a baby. In the past, Ashley has refused to talk about her absent dad.
Who is Ashley’s dad?
Ashley Jensen’s dad is Ivar Jensen. He admits he left Ashley and her mum when she was just a baby. Talking to the Daily Mirror’’
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