Gemma Atkinson
Atkinson in 2012
Born
Gemma Louise Atkinson

(1984-11-16) 16 November 1984 (age 39)[1]
Bury, Greater Manchester, England
PartnerGorka Márquez
Children2

Gemma Louise Atkinson (born 16 November 1984) is an English radio presenter and former actress and glamour model. She played Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks (2001–2005, 2022) and in three spin-off series, Hollyoaks: After Hours (2004), Hollyoaks: Let Loose (2005) and Hollyoaks: In the City (2006), Tamzin Bayle in Casualty (2011–2012, 2014) and Carly Hope in Emmerdale (2015–2017). She currently presents the drive time slot across the Hits Radio Network. In November 2021, it was announced that Atkinson is set to reprise her role as Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks.

Early life and education

Atkinson was born in Bury, Greater Manchester.[2][3][4] Her father David was Scottish and from Dumfries.[5] She took her GCSEs at Castlebrook High School, Bury.

Career

Atkinson in 2006

Acting

Television

Atkinson rose to fame playing Lisa Hunter in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Atkinson and Marcus Patric (who played the character Ben Davies) subsequently appeared in a spin-off series called Hollyoaks: Let Loose for E4, in which their characters started a new life together in Chester. This was followed by Hollyoaks: In the City, also screened on E4.

Other television roles included appearing as herself in the pilot for Plus One, part of the pilot series Comedy Showcase in October 2009. In 2009, she appeared as Ria Crossley, the girlfriend of a drug dealer in The Bill. Atkinson also appeared in the British independent film Boogie Woogie,[6] which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2009.[7]

In May 2011, Atkinson began filming for her part in the BBC medical drama Casualty. She played the part of Tamzin, a paramedic; appearing onscreen from 13 August 2011, but had confirmed via Twitter that she would only appear for ten weeks (10 episodes)[8] She left the show on 1 October 2011, after her sixth appearance but later returned to the show as Tamzin for the last time in 2014.[9][10]

In 2015, Atkinson began playing the role of Carly Hope in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.[11] Then in November 2021, it was announced that Atkinson will reprise her role as Lisa Hunter in Hollyoaks.[12]

Film

Atkinson appeared in the 2010 horror film called 13Hrs[13] in February 2009 and a UK gangster film called Baseline in March 2009.[14]

Atkinson played the role of Hannah in the 2011 romantic comedy film How to Stop Being a Loser. The film also starred Richard E. Grant, Jill Halfpenny and Pamela Anderson.[15]

She played the role of Harriett in the 2012 film Airborne.[16] In 2013, she starred in a remake of Night of the Living Dead, released in 3D. Also in 2013, she appeared in Devil's Pass.

Atkinson played the role of Rhea Wagner in the 2016 Bollywood film Fever.[17]

In 2017, Atkinson starred in the horror film Cain Hill,[18] alongside Emmerdale co-star Michael Parr and Kingsman 2 actor Tony Cook.

Stage

Atkinson appeared in Peter Pan at the Manchester Opera House in December 2008. She took the title role alongside John Thomson who played Captain Hook.[19]

Atkinson appeared in the West End production of Tim Firth's Calendar Girls at the Noël Coward Theatre, from 28 July to 17 October 2009 where she played the character of Elaine.[20] Atkinson also went on tour with Calendar Girls, she played Celia aka Miss September in the production. The January to April 2010 tour of Calendar Girls also starred Lynda Bellingham, Judith Barker, Debbie Chazen, Letitia Dean and Jan Harvey.

Atkinson played the lead female role, Belinda in Neil LaBute's play This Is How It Goes at the King's Head Theatre in Islington, London from 7 September to 3 October 2010.

Reality television

Atkinson in 2009

Atkinson has appeared as a contestant on reality TV series such as I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef and Soapstar Superstar.

In January 2007, Atkinson reached the last four stage of ITV's Soapstar Superstar.[21]

Songs performed on Soapstar Superstar:

In December 2006, she appeared in Celebrity Weakest Link with Marcus Patric. In 2007, she took part in the BBC's Celebrity MasterChef competition.

In November 2007, she appeared in the seventh series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in Australia. She finished in fifth place.

In January 2008, Atkinson appeared on Celebrity Mastermind. On 15/16 March 2008, Atkinson co-presented the Play.com Live gaming expo at Wembley Stadium with Virgin Radio presenter Iain Lee.

Atkinson and her family appeared on All Star Family Fortunes on 20 September 2008, competing against Antony Cotton and his family. The Atkinsons did not win the show; however, Gemma was given £1,000 for her chosen charity.

On 12 November 2008, she appeared in Jack Osbourne's ITV2 show Adrenaline Junkie filmed in South Africa. She did a bungee jump, a skydive, a glider flight and swam with great white sharks.

In 2013, she appeared in an episode of I Love My Country, on BBC One. She took part in a celebrity edition of The Chase in December 2015. After the team beat the chaser, Shaun Wallace, Atkinson took home £25,125 for her chosen charity, Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary.

In Autumn 2017 Atkinson competed in the fifteenth series of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing,[22] where she was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec. The couple reached the final of the competition on 16 December, where they finished either second, third or fourth (results not disclosed via the BBC), losing out to Joe McFadden [23]

Glamour modelling

In early 2006, Atkinson underwent breast enlargement surgery, which took her bra size to a 34E.[24] She said in an interview with Maxim magazine that she lost weight due to a fitness regimen and her breasts had declined in size and that the surgery had restored their original size and shape.[25]

Since launching her parallel career as a glamour model, Atkinson has appeared in provocative photoshoots wearing lingerie and swimwear,for magazines such as Arena, FHM, Loaded, Maxim, Zoo and Nuts. In October 2006, she appeared in three of these publications in a single month, becoming one of the most prolific celebrity glamour models in the UK. She has also released calendars yearly since 2006, with those for 2008 and 2009 shot in Thailand.[26]

Since 2006 she has appeared in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women list, debuting at number 32.[27] Following her appearance on the cover of FHM, she moved up to 23 in 2007,[27] rising again to 18 in 2008[27] and falling to 81 in 2009.[28] She ranked number 46 in AskMen.com's 99 Sexiest Women of 2008.[29]

Promotional work

Atkinson has undertaken a wide range of promotional work; she was the female face of the 2007 British Grand Prix[30] and worked for the Orange promotion "On Yer Bike London" prior to the Tour de France.[31]

She has also modelled for lingerie brands, including being the face of La Senza[32] and Ultimo's D-G range.[33] She opened Ultimo stores within Debenhams branches in London,[34] Belfast and Glasgow.

Other work

Atkinson has also played Goldie Lookin Chain's love interest in the music video for the single "R'n'B" and featured on the cover of the CD single release.[35]

Atkinson made her debut video game appearance in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008) in the role of Lt. Eva McKenna,[36] which she reprised in Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising (2009). She also took part in EA's "Be the One" event in Trafalgar Square on 29 October 2008, which forms part of the London Games Festival.[37]

Also in 2013, Atkinson appeared in the video to Rizzle Kicks's song "Skip to the Good Bit". From 1 February 2017 to May 2018, she co-hosted the Key 103 breakfast show with Mike Toolan.[38]

She presented the Hits Radio breakfast show alongside Gethin Jones and Comedy Dave for the first year of Hits Radio's broadcasting,[39]

Atkinson now presents the drive time slot across the Hits Radio Network with Mike Toolan.

Charity work

In September 2007, Atkinson did a 5 kilometre (3 miles, 190 yards) charity run for breast cancer awareness. She embarked upon a 228 kilometres (142 mi) walk along the Great Wall of China in April 2008, as part of a charity event organised by Olivia Newton-John's breast cancer awareness charity. She was joined for her section of the walk by celebrities Marcus Patric and Ant and Dec, among others. The walk was intended to symbolise the steps cancer patients must take on their road to recovery.[40]

Atkinson visited the Home and Garden Show at Chester Racecourse on 5 June 2008 to unveil the room she designed with furniture store owner Arighi Bianchi which would be suitable for teenagers in conjunction with the Teenage Cancer Trust charity. The room was created in association with Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), the Home and Garden Show's official charity.

On 8 January 2009, Atkinson was at Spinningfields in Manchester helping to launch the Great Manchester Run, a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) run for charity that took place on 17 May 2009. At the launch, she was joined by singer Russell Watson, and actors Antony Cotton and Britt Ekland. Atkinson ran to raise funds for the New Children's Hospital appeal.[41] She finished the 10 km run on 17 May 2009 with a time of 1 hour 6 minutes.

In May 2010, Atkinson again took part in the Great Manchester Run, she was competing on behalf of Manchester's Christie Hospital. She hoped to beat her time from the previous year's run of 1 hour 6 minutes. She ran a time of 57 minutes, beating her 2009 time by 9 minutes.

Atkinson became the vice-patron of Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary in Lancashire in January 2016. She ran the Great Manchester Run for the charity in May 2016.[42]

In late 2016, Atkinson supported the #gotyourback message, a campaign to help military veterans seek help if they need it.[43]

Personal life

Atkinson is engaged to Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Gorka Márquez. On 1 February 2019, she announced on Instagram that they were expecting a baby.[44] Atkinson gave birth to a baby girl on 4 July 2019.[45] On 21 January 2023, Atkinson announced on Instagram that she was pregnant with her second child.[46] On 19 July 2023, Atkinson announced she had given birth to her second child, a boy.[47]

Filmography

Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Boogie Woogie Charlotte Bailey
2010 Baseline Karen
13Hrs Emily
The Sweet Shop Katie Powell
2011 How to Stop Being a Loser Hannah
2012 Airborne Harriet
2013 Night of the Living 3D Dead Barbara
Devil's Pass Denise Evers also known as The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Fever Ria
2014 The Confusion of Tongues Angel
2016 Fever Rhea Wagner
2017 Cain Hill Elizabeth
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2001–2005, 2022 Hollyoaks Lisa Hunter Main role
2004 Hollyoaks: After Hours Lisa Hunter 5 episodes
2005 Hollyoaks: Let Loose Lisa Hunter 13 episodes
2006 Hollyoaks: In the City Lisa Hunter Main role
2007 Soapstar Superstar Herself Contestant
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Herself Contestant; 5th place
2009 The Bill Ria Crossley Episode: "In the Know"
2011 Waterloo Road Mandy Episode 7.2
2011–2012, 2014 Casualty Tamzin Bayle Main role
2012 The Hamster Wheel Herself 5 episodes
The Real Hustle Herself 1 episode
2013 Law & Order: UK Becky Bryson Episode: "Paternal"
2015–2017 Emmerdale Carly Hope Main role
2017 Strictly Come Dancing Herself Contestant; 2nd place
2019 Glow Up: Britain's Next Make-Up Star Herself Guest star
2022 The Toddler Club Herself Presenter[48]
2023 Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens Herself With Gorka Márquez[49]
Video game roles
Year Title Role Notes
2008 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Lieutenant Eva McKenna
2009 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising Lieutenant Eva McKenna

See also

References

  1. ^ Gemma Atkinson at IMDb
  2. ^ "Hollyoaks star Gemma Atkinson joins Emmerdale". Manchester Evening News. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Gemma Atkinson: from Hollyoaks to Bollywood". Bury Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Find My Past". Search.findmypast.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. ^ McNair, Andrew (28 July 2015). "Emmerdale actress Gemma Atkinson just loved coming to Dumfries and Galloway on her school holidays". Daily Record. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Atkinson gets role in movie". Showbizspy.com. 1 November 2007. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  7. ^ Ali Jaafar (6 May 2009). "Edinburgh lines up 23 world premiers". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  8. ^ "Gemma Atkinson joining Casualty as a glamorous paramedic". Mirror.co.uk. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 14 December 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  9. ^ "'Casualty' Gemma Atkinson to return". Digitalspy.co.uk. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  10. ^ Atkinson, Gemma. "Paramedic school.... Jane was late. @mattbardock @charlesTdalepic.twitter.com/h8fqFoBN8t". Twitter. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  11. ^ Dainty, Sophie (30 July 2018). "Gemma Atkinson opens up over why she left Emmerdale". Digital Spy.
  12. ^ Hallam, Katy (11 November 2021). "Hollyoaks legend Gemma Atkinson returning to soap after 20 years". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  13. ^ Night Wolf at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  14. ^ Baseline at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  15. ^ "Gemma Atkinson Interview for iFILM LONDON". YouTube. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018.
  16. ^ "Uber Hottie Gemma Atkinson Takes Flight For New British Horror Airborne". IMDb.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Gemma in Bollywood movie". Mid-day.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  18. ^ Cain Hill at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ^ "Gemma's Peter Pan role". Manchester Evening News. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  20. ^ "Playbill News: Jerry Hall, Anita Dobson, Gemma Atkinson and More to Join London's Calendar Girls". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  21. ^ "Gemma Atkinson Leaves Soapstar Superstar 2007". Unrealitytv.co.uk. 11 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  22. ^ "Actress Gemma Atkinson steps into the Strictly ballroom!". BBC. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Strictly Come Dancing 2017 week 13 recap: A stunning final sees a glittering victory for the last man standing". The Independent. 16 December 2017. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Gemma Atkinson Gallery – Girls and Celebrities Pictures – Maxim Magazine UK". Maxim. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  25. ^ "In Bed With Gemma". Maxim. 31 October 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2006.
  26. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Gemma Atkinson reveals her 2008 calendar". Now Magazine. 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
  27. ^ a b c "Gemma Atkinson". FHM. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  28. ^ "Freida Pinto – FHM 100 Sexiest Women 2009". FHM. Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2009.
  29. ^ "Gemma Atkinson – AskMen.com UK". Uk.askmen.com. 16 November 1984. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  30. ^ "Gemma Atkinson named the face of Formula 1". Now Magazine. 25 May 2007. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  31. ^ "Gemma Atkinson launches on Yer Bike London". Now Magazine. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  32. ^ "Gemma Atkinson models sexy La Senza underwear". Now Magazine. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  33. ^ Rawls, Bryan (23 December 2016). "KYLIE JENNER SEX TAPE ⋆ SHOWBIZ SPY". Archived from the original on 27 October 2007.
  34. ^ "Gemma Atkinson at the Ultimo Store Opening at Debenhams – The Lingerie Post". the-lingerie-post.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  35. ^ "UKMIX – Reviews – Goldie Lookin Chain – R'n'B". ukmix.org. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
  36. ^ "UK actress the latest to join C&C: Red Alert 3 cast". 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2008.
  37. ^ "Gemma Atkinson to star in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3". Electronic Arts. 5 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 August 2008. Retrieved 6 August 2008.
  38. ^ Evans, Denise (23 January 2017). "When is Gemma Atkinson starting at Key 103?". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
  39. ^ Bourne, Dianne (3 May 2018). "Comedy Dave has Gemma Atkinson in stitches as new Hits hosts do lunch". men. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  40. ^ "The Great Walk To Beijing". Archived from the original on 7 September 2008.
  41. ^ "Actress on her marks for charity". The Bolton News. 8 January 2009. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  42. ^ "Running for Bleakholt – Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary". Bleakholt.org. Archived from the original on 22 June 2016.
  43. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  44. ^ Powell, Emma (1 February 2019). "Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Márquez baby news has pair 'beyond excited'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  45. ^ Atkinson, Gemma [@glouiseatkinson] (6 July 2019). "And just like that, we're a three! Our beautiful baby daughter arrived on Thursday 4th July and myself and Gorks couldn't be happier 💗💗💗..." Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2022 – via Instagram.
  46. ^ "Gemma Atkinson on Instagram: "Impossible to hide my belly any longer. I've officially "popped." 😂 Our baby boy will be joining our family later this year 💙 We feel so incredibly blessed and Grateful to be on this journey again. Mia is absolutely thrilled! Although we may need to do some negotiating on names, as so far she's adamant he's going to be called Barbie. 😂💙"".
  47. ^ "Gemma Atkinson announces birth of second baby in heartwarming Instagram post". The Independient.com. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  48. ^ "Gemma Atkinson announced as co-presenter of The Toddler Club on CBeebies". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  49. ^ "Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Márquez on life behind closed doors in brand-new W series, Gemma and Gorka: Life Behind the Lens". corporate.uktv.co.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2023.

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