Lisa Riley facts for kids

Lisa Jane Riley (born 13 July 1976) is a well-known English actress and TV presenter. She is famous for playing the character Mandy Dingle in the popular TV show Emmerdale. Lisa was on the show from 1995 to 2001, and then she returned in 2019. She also presented You've Been Framed! and was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Lisa Riley's Career Journey

Lisa Riley started acting at a young age. She trained at the Oldham Theatre Workshop when she was nine. Just three years later, she got an agent to help her find acting jobs.

Early Roles and Emmerdale Success

Lisa's first acting experiences included being an extra in popular shows like Coronation Street. In 1995, she got a guest role in the British soap opera Emmerdale. She played the character Mandy Dingle. Viewers really liked her, so she was asked to join the main cast the next year. In 1996, Lisa won the "Most Popular Newcomer" award at the National Television Awards for her role in Emmerdale. She continued to play Mandy until 2001, when she decided to try other TV roles.

Presenting and Other TV Shows

From 1998 to 2002, Lisa became the presenter of You've Been Framed!. This show featured funny home videos. She took over from Jeremy Beadle and helped the show become very popular, with over 13 million viewers at its best! Lisa even appeared on the show herself when an old school friend sent in a clip of her. In 1999, she co-presented a show called Birthrace 2000 with Davina McCall.

Lisa also starred as Rebecca Patterson in the drama series Fat Friends from 2002 to 2005. She played Goody McEldrich in the children's show Young Dracula in 2011. She also appeared in the crime drama Scott & Bailey in 2012. From 2011 to 2013, Lisa had guest roles as Tina Allen in the BBC school drama Waterloo Road.

Dancing and Panel Shows

In 2012, Lisa joined the tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing as a contestant. She danced with professional partner Robin Windsor. They did very well and made it to the semi-finals of the competition. After Strictly, Lisa joined the live tour and a backstage show.

In 2016, Lisa became a regular panellist on the ITV daytime show Loose Women. She had been a guest on the show before. In 2017, she appeared in the BBC miniseries Three Girls. In 2018, Lisa starred in another BBC drama called Age Before Beauty.

Return to Emmerdale

In 2018, it was announced that Lisa would return to Emmerdale for a short time in January 2019. Because her character was so popular, she later returned to the show full-time in September 2019.

Personal Life

In 2016, Lisa Riley made a big change in her life by losing a lot of weight. A year later, she had surgery to remove extra skin. This was part of her health journey.

Stage and Screen Work

Lisa Riley has performed in many theatre shows, especially pantomimes, which are fun family shows around Christmas. She has played roles like Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington and the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella.

She has also appeared in several films and many television shows. Some of her TV appearances include This Morning, Lorraine, and Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two.

Awards and Recognition

Lisa Riley has been recognized for her acting. She won the "Most Popular Newcomer" award at the National Television Awards in 1996 for her role in Emmerdale. She has also been nominated for other awards, including "Most Popular Actress" and "Best Actress" for her work in Emmerdale and Fat Friends.

See also

• List of Strictly Come Dancing contestants