Kara Tointon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kara Tointon
Tointon filming on the set of EastEnders in 2008
Born	(1983-08-05) 5 August 1983 (age 41) Basildon, Essex, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Television	EastEnders Strictly Come Dancing Mr Selfridge The Sound of Music Live The Halcyon The Teacher
Children	2
Relatives	Hannah Tointon (sister)

Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress. She is well-known for playing Dawn Swann in the popular BBC show EastEnders. In 2010, she won the TV dance competition Strictly Come Dancing. Later, in 2015, she starred as Maria in the live ITV show The Sound of Music Live.

Early Life and Education

Kara Tointon was born on August 5, 1983. Her parents are Ken and Carol Tointon. She grew up in Leigh-on-Sea with her sister, Hannah Tointon, who is also an actress. Both sisters went to St Michael's School and St Hilda's School in Essex.

When Kara was seven, she found out she had dyslexia. This means she sometimes finds reading and writing harder. She also took speech and drama lessons. Kara's first acting role was playing Brigitta in a local play of The Sound of Music.

Acting Career Highlights

Kara Tointon started her professional acting career at a young age. When she was 11, she was a paid dancer in a pantomime show.

Early TV Roles

Her first time on television was in 1994. She appeared as a school friend in EastEnders. In 2001, she played a student named Pauline Young in the first series of Teachers on Channel 4. She also presented a show called Curriculum Bites for the BBC in 2002.

In 2005, Kara joined the cast of EastEnders as Dawn Swann. She played this role for four years. She left the show in August 2009. In 2010, she made a guest appearance in the police drama The Bill.

Raising Awareness for Dyslexia

In July 2010, Kara made a special documentary for BBC Three. It was called Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid. The show explored how dyslexia affects people's lives. Kara shared her own struggles with dyslexia, explaining that she had a reading age of 12. During the show, she visited a school that helps students with dyslexia. She talked to the students about their experiences.

Strictly Come Dancing Success

Kara Tointon is well-known for her dancing skills.

Sport Relief Special

In 2008, Kara won a special Strictly Come Dancing show for Sport Relief. She danced the samba with her partner, Mark Ramprakash. They won the Glitterball Trophy.

Winning Series 8

In September 2010, Kara became a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing Series 8. Her professional dance partner was Artem Chigvintsev. They performed very well throughout the competition. In week 5, Kara received the first perfect score of 10 from a judge for her Paso doble. She often topped the leaderboard with high scores.

Kara and Artem made it to the final. They competed against Matt Baker and Pamela Stephenson. In the end, Kara Tointon was crowned the champion of Strictly Come Dancing Series 8.

Theatre and Other Projects

Kara has also had a successful career in theatre and other television projects.

West End Theatre Roles

From May to September 2011, Kara played Eliza Doolittle in the play Pygmalion in London's West End. She starred alongside Rupert Everett. In 2012, she played Evelyn in the play Absent Friends. She also appeared in Relatively Speaking in 2013.

Other Notable Work

In 2009, Kara became the new face for Michelle underwear by George at Asda. In 2011, she took part in the BT Red Nose Desert Trek for Comic Relief. She also appeared in an episode of Sky's Bedlam.

Kara played a main role in the film Last Passenger in 2013. From 2015 to 2016, she played Rosalie Selfridge in the TV drama series Mr Selfridge. In 2015, she starred as Maria in the live UK broadcast of The Sound of Music Live. In 2017, Kara appeared in the ITV drama The Halcyon. She also played Olivia in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night.

In 2018, Kara joined other celebrities to record a Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph. The song was released to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Selected Stage Credits

• Pygmalion, Garrick Theatre, London, 2011
• Absent Friends, Harold Pinter Theatre, London, 2012
• Relatively Speaking, Wyndhams Theatre, London, 2013
• Gaslight, Touring Production – various cities in England, 2017
• Twelfth Night, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2017–18
• The Man in the White Suit, Theatre Royal Bath and Wyndham's Theatre, London, 2019

Personal Life

In September 2014, Kara Tointon took part in the Great North Run. She did this to raise money for Share A Star, a charity that helps seriously unwell children and teenagers.

Kara has two sons. Her first son was born in November 2018, and her second son was born in January 2021.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kara Tointon para niños