How does someone become Marilyn Monroe? For Suzie Kennedy it has been a journey from the USA to Bermondsey via Peckham, with a lot of excitement in between.
Suzie Kennedy’s parents emigrated to the States, where she was born. Sadly, they split up and Suzie and her mum returned to England to live in Peckham.
At some point they moved to Leather Market, where young Suzie’s childhood was spent playing a lot of knock down ginger, like any kid growing up in south-east London, and attending St George’s School before going on to the illustrious St Saviour’s & St Olave’s School.
Suzie enjoyed school and was particularly keen on English and History: “I loved learning about the amazing historical characters – I’m a geek, so wasn’t interested in the social aspect of school too much.” She left with the usual GCSEs.
On leaving college, Suzie was spotted on the street by someone in the media industry who said she looked like Marilyn Monroe. Soon after that surprise encounter, she was – in the guise of Monroe – cast in an After Eights commercial, along with Stephen Fry and Naomi Campbell. Other commercials came in – Pepsi, Guinness, Citroën – where she played the American icon.
In the following years, Suzie travelled the world as a Marilyn lookalike, winning top awards.
She lived in Berlin for a while, and in Hollywood, where she was in films such as Blade Runner 2049 with Ryan Gosling, Me and Marilyn, JFK: Seven Days That Made a President, and The Theory of Everything.
TV appearances include Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, Come Dine With Me, The Chase and The Weakest Link.
She has also performed for Madonna, Kate Moss, Simon Cowell, the Prince Albert of Monaco and even Stephen Hawking. And Suzie can soon be seen in Fatal Addiction on Amazon Prime.
Now living in Canada Water, she says she loves the history of Bermondsey, its location and great parks, great food and great transport links. But when I asked, “What’s your favourite place in Bermondsey?” She replied: “My church, City Hope. It’s full of community, kindness and faith.”
“It’s the Bermondsey spirit in me. We keep going.”
The church has been a more recent move for Suzie, who says she spent much of her adult life “partying, dating, drinking and living a wild life, like a lot of people”. But then she was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and her life immediately changed from living the high life to living with radiotherapy sessions.
“The news was a shock,” she says, “and was unexpected… I believe so much can happen to you in this life, but it’s how you react to it.
“I have taken my knocks and fought back; I think it’s the Bermondsey spirit in me. We keep going.”
One way that Suzie dealt with how her life had changed was to join City Hope Church, on Drummond Road, and to enrol on a degree course in Theology and Counselling at the London School of Theology.
“My aim,” she reveals, “is to use my life experience and give back by helping those struggling with mental health issues”.
Suzie says that she “already has placements at two of the leading mental health charities to do counselling – and I’m still doing Marilyn work”.
Suzie has been clear of cancer for six years now.
So, after a life filled with a mix of fun and trauma, and much upheaval in her formative years, I asked what have been the highlights?
Her immediate answer was: “Finding my faith. All the TV shows, films and achievements in entertainment pale into insignificance in comparison to the happiness I feel knowing God has got my back.”
