Who is Alan Bates' wife Suzanne Sercombe?
SUZANNE Sercombe is the supportive wife of Horizon scandal hero Alan Bates, who stood by him every step of the way.
Here we take a look at Suzanne's life — and who's playing her in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
Who is Alan Bates' wife Suzanne Sercombe?
Suzanne Sercombe, originally from London, is the wife of Alan Bates.
As part of their retirement plan, Alan and Suzanne used their life savings to buy a Post Office in Llandudno, Wales.
As a result of the Horizon scandal, the couple lost the £65,000 they invested in the business.
Between 1999 and 2015 thousands of subpostmasters were wrongly accused of stealing, false accounting and fraud by the Post Office — when its own computer system was at fault for the accounting discrepancies.
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Many were jailed and some suffered great mental turmoil, with at least four of them going on to take their own lives.
Bates took the Post Office to the High Court in 2019, resulting in a £58million compensation payout for the 555 claimants.
He is credited with bringing victims of the injustice together to fight for retribution.
Who plays Suzanne Sercombe in Mr Bates vs the Post Office?
Broadchurch and Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh plays Suzanne Sercombe in the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
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When asked about what kept Alan and Suzann going through the scandal and its aftermath, Julie said: “She wouldn't thank me for saying this, but I think there is such a deep and abiding love and respect between those two people, one that is quite rare and precious.
"Suzanne has, in lots and lots of ways, put her own life on hold and sacrificed huge amounts to this cause. I don't think she had a choice in that really, in that it happened to them. They didn’t cause it.
"But she's stood by him every step of the way, 100% unquestioningly. She's no walkover, not a little wifey at home by any stretch of the imagination. I get the impression that sometimes it's been hard because she's quite a strong personality.
“She's an incredibly creative person; she has a lot to say about things. She has a very interesting life herself. And I feel like Alan has been so much the face of this campaign and the leader of it, that she has retreated into the shadows a little bit.
"Again, not her choice, that's just happened. But she's done that willingly because she absolutely loves and respects him and because she shares a sense of justice and right and wrong.
“Also they have exactly the same sense of humour, one that’s very peculiar to them. It’s really silly: they find the same things hysterically funny.”
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