Playing Nice star Niamh Algar's life off-camera with famous boyfriend

Nicky Morris
·2-min read
NIAMH ALGAR as Maddie in Playing Nice
NIAMH ALGAR as Maddie in Playing Nice (Joss Barratt)

Niamh Algar is starring in ITV's gripping new thriller, Playing Nice, which follows two sets of parents who are faced with a shocking dilemma after discovering that their toddlers were swapped at birth in a hospital mix-up.

Niamh, who plays James Norton's on-screen partner Maddie, is no stranger to must-watch dramas, having previously starred in Deceit, Malpractice and Raised by Wolves. While she's a familiar face on our screens, how much do you know about her life off-camera? And did you know that her partner is also a famous actor? Keep reading for all we know…

Niamh's famous partner

Niamh's partner is Lorne MacFadyen, a Scottish actor who is perhaps best known for playing Phil Wilkinson in Grantchester, Doward in the BBC thriller Vigil, and Liam in the third season of the BBC comedy Starstruck. 

The couple co-starred together in ITV's 2023 medical thriller Malpractice, in which Lorne played Niamh's on-screen husband.

Speaking about starring opposite her real-life partner, Niamh previously told Fabric magazine: "My boyfriend (Lorne MacFadyen) was in the show with me. He was playing my husband

NIAMH ALGAR as Dr Lucinda Edwards and LORNE MACFADYEN as Tom Edwards
Niamh and Lorne co-starred in Malpractice (ITV)

"We started it out like, this is great, everything is going amazing. And then there were scenes where we were fighting and arguing with each other. And we would go home, and it would be hard to be like, OK, that was the characters," she continued, laughing. "Letting go is something that I’m working on. And taking a lot more seriously now that I have come out of a character like this – realising that, oh yeah, you should listen to yourself."

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Niamh's home life away from the cameras

While Niamh grew up in the Irish countryside in Mullingar, the actress now lives in London.

NIAMH ALGAR as Dr Lucinda Edwards in Malpractice
Nimah played Dr Lucinda Edwards in Malpractice (ITV)

Opening up about her "nomadic" lifestyle during an interview with Country & Town House, Niamh explained: "I've always been nomadic, since I was probably about 16. This lifestyle and job fits in well with me and my personality and my own lifestyle. But yeah, it just means that when you do get to go home and see your family that you cherish it and really make the most of it, because you don't know when you’ll next see them."

JAMES NORTON as Pete,NIAMH ALGAR as Maddie,JAMES McARDLE as Miles AND JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY as Lucy in Playing Nice
Niamh stars alongside James Norton, Jessica Brown Findlay and James McArdle in Playing Nice (ITV)

"So when you do get home, you just appreciate the time you can spend with someone," continued the actress, adding: "When I'm not working, I'm just visiting friends or visiting family. Which is great – it's kind of like my pastime."

Playing Nice airs on ITV1 at 9pm on Sunday 5 January.

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