Born:
April 17, 1971
in
Liverpool
Best Known For:
Playing Lindsey Corkhill on Brookside.
Early-life:
Born in Walton, Liverpool in 1971, Claire developed a love of music and drama at a young age. When she was 11, her mum sent to the Elliott-Clarke Stage School in Liverpool, mainly because she had bad memories of attending the local comprehensive, which strengthened Claire's ambition to be a performer. At 18, she won a place at the prestigious Italia Conti School in London, and in 1991 made a brief appearance as Lindsey on Brookside, before leaving to concentrate on her singing career.
Career:
Claire spent four years singing on cruise ships, and when she got back to dry land in 1995, decided to get in touch with the Brookside producers to see if they would be interested in bringing her character back. As luck would have it, they were working on a storyline involving Lindsey, and she got the role. Claire stayed with the soap until 2003, but her profile received a further boost when she came second in the first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001. Since then, she has acted in the series Clocking Off and Merseybeat, released an album and performed extensively on stage in musicals including Chicago, Guys and Dolls, and Fosse. She's also competed in Strictly Come Dancing, and worked as a presenter on shows including Here Comes the Sun, Challenge of a Lifetime and 60 Minute Makeover.
Quote:
"It's funny how it's all worked out. I just see myself as a working actress - I do shows, I do bits for the telly and I really don't analyse it."
Trivia:
She co-wrote the comedy musical Sex and the Suburbs. It was staged in 2014.