Emma Rigby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emma Rigby
Born	Emma Rigby (1989-09-26) 26 September 1989 (age 35) St Helens, Merseyside, England
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	2003–present

Emma Rigby (born on September 26, 1989) is an English actress and model. She became well-known for playing Hannah Ashworth in the TV show Hollyoaks from 2005 to 2010, and she returned to the show in 2024.

Later, she starred as Gemma Roscoe in the BBC One drama series Prisoners' Wives. She also played the Red Queen in the American fantasy-drama Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. Emma Rigby also took on the main role of Angie in the movie A Cinderella Christmas, which was directed by Tosca Musk.

Early life and beginnings

Emma Rigby was born in St Helens, Merseyside, England. She went to De La Salle High School, where she achieved excellent grades, getting 10 A*s in her GCSEs. She started her acting career professionally when she was just 14 years old.

Acting career highlights

Emma Rigby first appeared on television in June 2003. She played Lisa Gunstone in the BBC drama series Born and Bred. In the same year, she also appeared in four episodes of the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, playing Elena Jones.

In 2005, when she was 15, Emma was chosen to play Hannah Ashworth in the popular show Hollyoaks. She received a lot of praise for her character's storyline about anorexia. This role earned her several award nominations, and she won the British Soap Award for Best Actress in 2008.

In 2008, Emma announced she would be leaving Hollyoaks to work on other projects. She was originally set to leave in June 2009. However, after talking with the show's producers, she extended her contract. She stayed on the show until February 2010, with her final episode airing on February 11, 2010. In November 2023, it was announced that Emma Rigby would return to Hollyoaks in 2024.

In 2010, Emma made her debut in a West End musical called Wolfboy. She played a non-singing role as nurse Cherry and received good reviews from critics. Emma has also worked as a model for over ten years. Between 2009 and 2011, she appeared in several short films, including the award-winning film Talk.

In 2011, Emma Rigby starred as Brandy Mulligan in the online series Becoming Human. That same year, she was in the horror film Demons Never Die. In September, she had a role as Rachel in the first episode of the C4 comedy Fresh Meat.

In 2012, Emma starred in the six-part drama series Prisoners' Wives alongside Jonas Armstrong. The first episode aired on January 31, 2012. Emma played Gemma Roscoe, a young pregnant woman whose life changes completely when her husband is arrested for murder. In March 2012, she had a guest role in Pramface as Carrie-Ann. In June 2012, it was announced that she would play the main female role in The Physician with Ben Kingsley. This film was released in late 2013. Also in 2013, she made her first appearance in a US film, The Counsellor, directed by Ridley Scott.

In 2013, Emma Rigby appeared in an episode of Ripper Street as Lucy Eames. She also appeared in an episode of The Job Lot. In April 2013, Emma was cast in a main role as the Red Queen in the US TV series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

In 2014, she starred in the remake of Endless Love. She also played the main female role in the British crime film Plastic. This movie is based on a true story about a group of English university students who run a successful credit card scam. In 2015, Emma worked with James Franco in the movie version of his book Actors Anonymous, which was released in 2017.

In 2016, Emma Rigby returned to British television after three years, with a guest appearance on Death in Paradise. In the summer of 2016, she took on her first main female role in a US film, playing Angie in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Christmas. This film was shot that summer and released in December of the same year. She also filmed the American crime thriller drama American Violence, playing Olivia Rose, which came out in early 2017.

In 2017, Emma Rigby starred as the main female character in Hollywood Dirt, released on Passionflix in September. In May, Emma appeared in the first episode of the final series of Inspector George Gently as Betty Platt. In September, Emma joined the cast of the comedy film The Festival. She played Smurf Girl, and the film was released in 2018.

In 2018, Emma Rigby was a guest star in the first two episodes of Sky One's Bulletproof. In October, Emma joined the cast of the West End play Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie. Emma played Romaine Vole in the play, starting her role at London's County Hall on November 20, 2018, and finishing on May 26, 2019. During the summer, she also played Shelley in a new version of Amanda Whittington's play Ladies' Day at The Wolverhampton Grand.

In 2020, Rigby joined the cast of BBC Three's television film Make Me Famous. In 2021, she had a role as Babs in the horror film The Power.

Personal interests

Emma Rigby is an ambassador for two organizations: the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development CAFOD and the Douai Foundation.

Film roles

Television roles

Stage performances

Awards and nominations

Emma Rigby has been recognized for her acting with several awards and nominations:

In 2007, when she was 17, Emma was nominated for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards. She was also nominated for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards. A year later, in 2008, she won the British Soap Award for Best Actress.

Her acting as Hannah Ashworth, especially during the anorexia storyline, received a lot of praise. She won the award for Best Storyline at the annual Hollyoaks awards for Hannah's eating disorder. At the All About Soap Bubble Awards in April 2008, Emma Rigby won an award in the 'I'm a Survivor' category, which celebrates the bravest character in a soap opera.

See also

A friendly robot for kids

In Spanish: Emma Rigby para niños