Career: Made her TV debut with an impressive performance in Blood and Peaches, following it up with the equally acclaimed Flight and Butterfly Kiss. Her big break came when she landed the role of Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale in 1995. Initially lined up to appear in just two episodes, her popularity prompted the soap's bosses to offer her a regular stint. After picking up numerous awards, she decided to leave in 2001. She took over from Jeremy Beadle as host of You've Been Framed in 1998. She's since appeared in Put Out More Fags, Secret Society, Aladdin, Scott & Bailey and Waterloo Road. She's most proud of her role in Fat Friends, which she calls "serious acting". On stage, she has appeared in a number of pantomimes and in UK tours of The Vagina Monologues and Calendar Girls. In 2012, she partnered professional dancer Robin Windsor in Strictly Come Dancing.