Coleraine actress in running for 'Irish Bafta'

Michelle has picked up the nomination for Actress in a Lead Role (TV) for her portrayal of George Best's mother Ann in 'Best: His Mother's Son'.

The BBC NI production looked at Mrs Best's battle with alcohol addiction in he later life and attracted almost 3 million viewers.

This year's nominations see a strong representation from Northern Ireland, with a number of locally-produced dramas and news programmes also up for awards.

Hollywood star Liam Neeson, meanwhile, is in the running for Actor in a Lead Role (TV) for his part in the BBC Troubles-based drama Five Minutes of Heaven, which also starred James Nesbitt.

Fellow local actors Ciaran Hinds and Stephen Rea have both been nominated for Film Actor in a Lead Role in the Irish equivalent of the Baftas.

Hinds, star of ITV’s recent Lynda La Plante crime drama Above Suspicion, has been nominated for Actor in a Lead Role (Film) for the supernatural movie Eclipse. He will go head to head with fellow Belfast man Stephen Rea, who has been nominated for Nothing Personal. The pair will face Colin Farrell (Ondine) and Darren Healy (Savage). Rea has also been nominated for Actor in a Supporting Role (TV) for Father and Son.

The IFTAs will take place at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, on Saturday, February 20.