Daniela Denby-Ashe facts for kids

Daniela Jolanta Denby-Ashe (born on 9 August 1978) is an English actress. She is famous for her roles in several TV shows. She played Sarah Hills in the soap opera EastEnders. She was also Margaret Hale in the historical drama North and South. Many people know her as Janey Harper from the BBC sitcom My Family. Later, she also acted as Lorraine Donnegan in the drama series Waterloo Road.

Early Life and Learning

Daniela Denby-Ashe was born in North West London on 9 August 1978. Her parents moved to England from Poland. Her father's first name was Miroslaw Pszkit. Before her parents got married, they wanted a more British-sounding last name. So, they each picked a name they liked from a phone book and joined them together.

Daniela speaks three languages very well: English, Polish, and French. She learned French from her grandmother, who grew up in France before World War II. Daniela started learning ballet when she was just two years old. Later, she also learned tap dancing. From ages 10 to 16, she went to different acting schools, including the Corona Academy.

Acting Career Highlights

Daniela Denby-Ashe first started acting in a children's video called Nursery Rhymes 2. As a child, she appeared in many TV commercials. This led to roles in children's dramas like Kevin & Co. She also appeared in the Channel 4 sitcom Desmond's. She had a small part in Absolutely Fabulous alongside Jennifer Saunders.

Her big chance came in 1995. She got the role of Sarah Hills in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She played this character for four years, until 1999.

The next year, she joined the cast of the BBC sitcom My Family as Janey Harper. Daniela took a break from My Family in 2003. But she came back to the show in 2004. The last series of My Family was shown in June 2011.

In 2004, Daniela played the main character, Margaret Hale, in the BBC TV drama. This show was based on a book by Elizabeth Gaskell. In 2006, she played Mary in the science fiction TV series Torchwood. This was in the episode Greeks Bearing Gifts.

She also had roles in other TV shows. These include Office Gossip, Rescue Me, and Is Harry on the Boat?. From 2003, she was in the Radio 4 comedy Ring Around the Bath.

In 2007, she acted as Robert Maxwell's secretary in Maxwell. This was a BBC drama about his life.

In December 2008, she appeared in the BBC Four drama Crooked House. In October 2010, she was in an episode of the ITV detective show Midsomer Murders. In April 2009, she joined the BBC drama Waterloo Road. She played a supply teacher named Jem Allen. In April 2012, she returned to Waterloo Road as a new regular character, Lorraine Donnegan. She was in many episodes of the eighth series.

She also appeared in two episodes of the BBC sitcom Mum in 2019.

Film and TV Roles