Cherry Healey is best known for Inside the Factory with Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace (Image: vimn.com)
Cherry Healey is set to star alongside a new co-host on ‘s Inside the Factory this weekend. Best known for gracing screens alongside Masterchef’s Gregg Wallace on the show, the star will now be working alongside Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness instead.
Paddy was announced as Gregg’s replacement on the show in August 2024 after Wallace, 60, announced his departure from the show in March 2023. At the time he stated that he wanted to dedicate more time to his five-year-old son, Sid, who is autistic.
However, it later emerged that there had reportedly been complaints over alleged “inappropriate” comments. According to reports, Wallace allegedly made remarks about the weight of female staff members while filming at a Nestlé factory in York.
Meanwhile, off-screen, Cherry has never shied away from delving into personal experiences; she notably opened up about a health scare endured back in 2009 during her best friend’s wedding which has had lasting effects on her well-being.
Cherry, at 44, balances her career with her role as a dedicated mother, often speaking candidly about the ups and downs of parenting solo post-divorce.
Her marriage to Roly Allen in 2010 welcomed two children into their lives – Coco and Bear.
The presenter opened up on being a single parent (Image: Getty)
Reflecting on her separation from Roly in 2016, she admitted to the Belfast Telegraph: “At the time, two years ago, it was awful. We’d been married for six years and together for eight and suddenly it felt like throwing my life up in the air and waiting to see where it landed.”
Further dissecting the ordeal, Cherry discussed the angst of restructuring life post-split: “It involves so much sorting out of finances, a home; so you can’t crumble. You have to be strong, yet inside your heart’s breaking and it’s intensely painful.”
During the upheaval, work commitments remained relentless for Cherry, who confined her emotional turmoil to the evenings, admitting to spending nights immersed in tears and coping through late-night chocolate binges.
After her breakup, Cherry began weekly therapy sessions, which she credits, along with socialising and regular exercise, as essential for maintaining her mental health. In the interview, she also discussed the adjustments she faced as a single parent.
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Cherry is best known for co-hosting BBC’s Inside the Factory (Image: Getty)
She shared: “At first I really pushed myself to be on top of their homework, made sure I saw all their school letters, and their uniform was smart. I thought, ‘Why am I going the extra mile?’ and realised it was because I didn’t want people to have any reason to judge me.”
She boldly stated: “There’s this totally wrong social stigma around single parenting which I hope will eventually disappear. I’m happy I was a good parent when I was married, and I’m still just as good a parent now I’m single.”
Cherry previously opened up to the Express about a significant health crisis she endured in 2009.
While attending a friends wedding, despite knowing she had a urinary tract infection (UTI) frequent encounters since she was 12 she underestimated the severity.
Reflecting on the event, she expressed: “I had left it far too long,” and recounted how she battled through the pain, not wanting to disappoint anyone: “I was mainlining painkillers and in a real state, sweating and feeling shaky but I just carried on and went to the wedding as I didn’t want to let anyone down.”
Although she fulfilled her role as a bridesmaid, she couldnt partake in the meal and later succumbed to her condition, collapsing until her then-husband found her and took her home.
“By the Sunday I was sheet white, had a terrible migraine and felt like death, so finally took myself to AandE. They admitted me instantly and I was in hospital for five days.”
The woman, named Cherry, revealed that her UTI had progressed to her kidneys by the time she sought help, alarming the doctors with her blood tests.
“They did an ultrasound and discovered because I had left it so long, my kidneys were permanently damaged; they will always be scarred from the infection.”
Now, she treats UTIs with the utmost urgency, vigilant at the first sign of symptoms.