Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses: Surprising reason Liz Hurley was for snubbed for iconic Trotter role in favour of Gwyneth Strong

The part of Cassandra could have looked very different!

Actress Elizabeth Hurley was snubbed to play the role of Cassandra Trotter in favour of Gwyneth Strong in Only Fools and Horses. The BBC sitcom has been legendary amongst fans for more than 40 years but the Trotter family could have looked very different.

In the earlier episodes of Only Fools, Rodney Trotter (Nicholas Lyndhurst) dated a string of women including The Nag’s Head barmaid Nervous Nerys who he tried to impress by hilariously wearing a leather jacket and combing back his hair. The dodgy dealer remained unlucky in love until he met Cassandra Parry (Gwyneth Strong) at evening school.

The pair got married in 1989 and welcomed daughter Joan in 2003. However, the part of Cassandra could have been played by TV and film star Liz Hurley who auditioned for the role.

Raquel (Tessa Peake-Jones), Del (David Jason), Rodney (Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Cassandra (Gwyneth Strong) (Image: BBC)

In the Channel 5 documentary Only Fools and Horses: Secrets and Scandals it was revealed Liz, 57, just didn’t fit the part. Author Mike Jones explained: “She auditioned for the role and it was felt that perhaps she was probably a little too glamorous for…how can I say it diplomatically? Our lanky Trotter brother.”

The role of Cassandra was given to Gwyneth Strong who played the role perfectly. As a career woman in the banking world, Cassandra was initially the opposite of Rodney whose job was flogging hooky goods down in the market trying to earn some cash.

The two met when Rodney accidentally took her coat before going to a nightclub and sparking a connection. They tied the know during the Little Problems episode.

The instalment also sees Del Boy Trotter emotional at their reception as Simply Red track Holding Back the Years plays in the background making one of Only Fools and Horses’ most moving scenes.

Elizabeth Hurley once auditioned for the role of Cassandra in Only Fools and Horses (Image: WireImage)

Since her Only Fools rejection back in the 1980s, actress Liz made brief appearances in the TV drama Inspector Morse and had a small part in Rumpole of the Bailey and The Human Face.

She rose to fame in the nineties after she famously dated actor Hugh Grant at the height of his Four Weddings and a Funeral fame. She also attracted international media attention after wearing the now iconic Versace safety pin dress to the film’s London premiere.

Since then Liz has gone on to be the face of Estee Lauder and her best-known film roles have been in comedy, including Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and as the Devil in Bedazzled (2000). In 2015, Hurley starred in the E! original series The Royals.

She then starred in the series Runways before appearing in movies Then Came You, Welcome to Georgia, and most recently Father Christmas in Back.

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