Carl Woodward catches up with screen and stage star Kara Tointon, ahead of her starring role in The Constant Wife, which is touring the UK from 16 January.
Originally produced by the RSC, and directed by the RSC’s Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey, W. Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife is adapted by Olivier Award winner Laura Wade (Home, I’m Darling; Posh).
Joining Strictly Come Dancing winner Kara Tointon (Mr Selfridge, The Hunger Games) as Constance Middleton are Gloria Onitiri (Hadestown) as Marie-Louise, Sara Crowe (Four Weddings & A Funeral) as Mrs Culver, Jules Brown (The Shawshank Redemption) as Mortimer, Tim Delap (Jane Eyre, National Theatre) as John, Alex Mugnaioni (The Taming of the Shrew, Globe Theatre) as Bernard, Philip Rham (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Bentley and Amy Vicary-Smith (The Duchess (of Malfi)) as Martha. The company is completed by Sam Flint, Jocasta King, and Jane Lambert.
See all tour dates and ticket information for The Constant Wife.
Kara Tointon sweeps into the room with the same bright energy the public know so well, and when I ask her how 2025 has treated her so far, she gives a wry smile.
“Well, it’s been a year of two halves, but not necessarily cut down the middle,” she laughs. “I think for a lot of people it’s been a funny old year. Strange. That’s why The Constant Wife feels like such a breath of fresh air. It’s so funny, and I think it’s going to be real light relief for people watching it and for those of us doing it. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The 2026 UK tour kicks off in Blackpool, and the Strictly Come Dancing champion’s eyes light up instantly at the mention. She loved her time on the show – as Tointon recalls: “Blackpool has a very heavy, warm place in my heart because of Strictly,” she says. “When you enter that Blackpool Tower ballroom, it’s breathtaking, the architecture and the atmosphere. I remember it like it was yesterday… it was my best dance, my best week.”
“Constance is the best role I’ve ever been given”
Despite decades in the business, Tointon insists her route into acting was almost accidental. Tointon from Basildon in Essex explains: “My parents were fantastic. Because of my dyslexia, I struggled at school, so Mum and Dad wanted me to find confidence elsewhere.” At the age of 7, Kara started to go to speech and drama lessons at school. She did LAMDA exams and entered local music festivals doing poetry recitals. “I loved it. It was totally accidental, but that’s where it all began. And my dad still champions me every day.”
Now, though, she’s taking on Constance, the razor-sharp heroine of Somerset Maugham’s 100-year-old play, and she doesn’t hold back on her excitement.
“Constance is the best role I’ve ever been given,” she says simply. “Laura Wade’s adaptation is something special. You read it, and the words just spring off the page.”
What surprised her most in rehearsals? “For a 100-year-old play, it is very funny. It feels current. Honestly, it could have been written in 2026, right now.”
So, what hooked her when the script first dropped into her inbox? “I read a few pages and was laughing out loud,” she says. “You just fall in love with these people. And Constance becomes this accidental powerhouse. She knows what she’s doing, of course, but all her underlying brilliance suddenly rises to the surface. She becomes the engine of every scene. That’s a lot of fun.”
Recently, the 42-year-old revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA genes 1 and 2, which put her at significantly higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. “I’m not naturally someone who talks about things like this,” she admits. “But during it all, I’d find myself blurting it out, ordering a coffee or getting on the tube and saying, ‘I’ve just had a double mastectomy!’ I couldn’t help it.”
What, I ask, surprised her most was how much hearing other people’s stories helped. There’s a tilt of the head. “When I was going through it, listening to others’ experiences comforted me in a way I can’t explain. You suddenly don’t feel alone. We’re so lucky now to understand more about our own genetics and health. If sharing my story helps even one other person feel more at ease, that means everything.”
“I’m just so excited to take this show on the road”
Tointon is now an ambassador for the gynaecological cancer charity the Eve Appeal. “A year ago, I finally felt ready to talk about it, and the response was incredible,” she says. “It was cathartic. I’d recommend anyone to open-up about it. It helped me, and hopefully it’s helped others too.”
Touring, of course, brings chaos, new cities, new audiences and a different energy every night. “What a great way to start the year,” she beams. “I’ve been to so many of the places before, like Malvern and Cheltenham, and I’m just so excited to take this show on the road.”
Producer David Pugh has made headlines keeping tickets at affordable prices, some starting at £10, something Kara is fiercely behind.
“This is my first time working with the great David Pugh,” she says. “He really champions theatre being accessible. It should be. But it has become so expensive, sometimes it’s like booking an all-inclusive holiday. David keeps prices reasonable so everyone can come. Live theatre is magical. Everyone deserves to experience it.”
Period pieces have become a Tointon speciality, from Pygmalion to Gaslight. “There’s nothing better than transporting yourself to another time,” she says. “In theatre you really get to dig into the period. It’s incredible. I love it.”
She says that The Constant Wife is moving and funny all at once: “You leave thinking about what you would do in that situation. And it reminds us we don’t always have to rush. We can take time, reflect and make the right decisions. Constance is so witty and brilliant. I wish I were as sharp as her.”
One particularly unusual stop on the tour is Cunard’s Queen Mary II. “I’m so excited,” she grins. “It’s a great way of reaching audiences who might never catch the show on tour. I’ve heard of so many people seeing brilliant theatre on cruises. It’s a great idea for us, too.”
Finally, I ask what the title of her autobiography would be. “Oopsie daisy,” she smiles.
INTERVIEW BY CARL WOODWARD
The Constant Wife runs at The Grand Theatre Blackpool from 16 January then tours the UK, before making its debut at sea on The Queen Mary 2.
Related News
The Constant Wife – First-look photos of the UK tour starring Kara Tointon
The Constant Wife full cast announced to join Kara Tointon including Sara Crowe & Gloria Onitiri
The Constant Wife to tour the UK starring Kara Tointon, prior to the West End
Kara Tointon
Latest News
Everything you need to know about The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal in London
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
What to expect from Pride the Musical ahead of highly anticipated transfer to the Bridge Theatre
