Call The Midwife star Megan Cusack's life off screen and famous family

Playing the role of Nurse Nancy Corrigan in period drama Call The Midwife, actress Megan Cusack may surprise viewers with her background in acting being her star-studded family.

Megan, 28, first appeared in series 10 as Ann Corrigan in 2021. As a newcomer, Megan's character had to deliver her first baby in May 2021, which fans pegged her impressive performance as down to Cusack’s prominent skills in acting. However, at the time, a then 24 year old Megan shared how her great debut was down to real tips from her maternal grandmother Margaret Harris - who had been a real housewife in her days.

Brought up in West Cork, Megan found herself born to Irish acting royalty with producer Pádraig Cusack as her father and stage and screen actors Cyril Cusack and Maureen Cusack as her grandparents - Cyril appearing in the 1957 film The Rising of the Moon. Catherine Cusack is most known for her role in Northern soap Coronation Street; Niamh Cusack appeared in British police drama Heartbeat; Sinéad Cusack acted in Hoffman as Janet Smith and in Summer Solstice as Elfrida; and Sorcha Cusack in comedy series Father Brown, Jane Eyre and Casualty, amongst other shows. Megan's cousins includes Calam lynch who went viral for his role in Bridgeton; and Max Irons who played in Miss Austen, The Riot Club and Condor - his father Jeremy being in both The Lion King and Lolita actor.

With a family tree of dedicated actresses - Megan's aunts Niamh, Sinead, Sorcha and Catherine, along with uncle Jeremy Irons – it’s interesting to read that its her grandmother Megan is so desperate to impress. Armed with 'nursing genes' and the infamous Cusack ones, Megan landed her role of nearly four years, saying there are many similarities between herself and character more commonly known as Nancy.

Megan's character came from a Catholic orphanage ran by nuns and was sent away to Nonnatus House to train as a midwife. Shockingly, Nancy had daughter Colette aged 16, who was sent to live in the same orphanage as she was born out of wedlock. Though Nancy was allowed monthly visits with Colette, but she decided to try to provide for her own child by means of hard work. On the Radio Times in 2023, Megan spoke about series 12 of the drama and how she expected "more of a fight to have her daughter". With the Christmas special a week before, the twelfth series had the actress thinking: "Despite being very foot-in-mouth and a bit erratic, I think the main thing is [Nancy] wants to make her daughter her own and live together".

Admitting she’d be unsuited midwifery in real life as she is "not good in high-pressure situations," Megan called Nancy "dizzy" upon her arrival on the show, suggesting the character too needed to come to terms with all the challenges of her role. In 2021 Megan said: "She’s just a bit dizzy, isn’t she?" adding that "she’s away with the fairies a lot of the time" and that she "would lose [her] head if it wasn’t screwed on". Megan also clarified that, "when it comes down to it, Nancy can handle the situation".

Nancy was a key star of the 2024 Christmas special. Though she was confirmed to be returning as Nurse Corrigan in Call The Midwife's series 14, which will premiere on Sunday the 30th of March, she has been reported to have quit the show as of today. Sunday is said to be the actress' exit from the midwifery house. On the Radio Times, Megan shared how she's ready to 'take a leap' and follow in her family's footsteps. Other than Call The Midwife, Megan has played Dunyasha on stage in Galway, which was an adaptation of Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard, and has also featured in Doctors.