Sunetra Sarker has detailed an awkward turn of events when her lawyer tried to utilise her public profile in court.
The actress and presenter, 51, is best known for appearing in Brookside, No Angels Casualty and Ackley Bridge.
She also competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, featured on Celebrity Gogglebox since 2019 and has been a panellist on Loose Women over the past four years.
Despite her being in the public eye, Sunetra has now revealed the uncomfortable moment the ‘book was thrown’ at her despite her lawyer trying to make her sound impressive in court.
On Thursday’s episode of the ITV programme the panel, which also included Charlene White, Gloria Hunniford and Nadia Sawalha, discussed whether speeding fines should be increased.
Sunetra then shared her own anecdote about how she felt the full force of the law after doing the wrong thing, but how her lawyer didn’t do her much good either.
‘I did actually get banned for speeding when driving over 100mph when I was rushing back on the M4 once. I was going through a bad time and a friend of mine offered to let one of her lawyer friends step up and be my lawyer in court,’ she explained.
‘I had never met him but the minute I did, I could sense he was a fan…and it wasn’t a good thing. He was like “oh it’s so good to meet you!” and I was thinking “I need you to be my lawyer” and he walked in and there’s the magistrate sitting there and he declares “we all know my client and want to be my client and all envy my client”.
‘He was acting as if I was Angelina Jolie or something. The magistrate then went “I don’t know your client, who is she?” and I’m dying inside and then my lawyer goes “well you are one of very few people who don’t because she has been on Comic Relief!”.
Sunetra then said the hearing ‘didn’t go well’ and she received a £3,000 fine and driving ban.
‘I got everything thrown at me because this man was depicting me to be some big shot,’ she said.
‘I was trying to say I was a single mum trying to get back on my feet…but I made a mistake and wouldn’t drive like that every day, but I learnt my lesson.’
During the discussion Gloria also admitted she used to ‘get caught for speeding a lot’.
Loose Women airs weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV1.
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