Alicya Eyo (born 16 December 1975) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Denny Blood in the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
prison drama series ''
Bad Girls'' and
Ruby Haswell
The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2011, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve Frost.
Flynn Buchanan
Flynn Buch ...
in the ITV soap opera ''
Emmerdale
''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, '' ...
''.
Early life
Eyo was born on 16 December 1975 in
Huyton, Merseyside. Her mother, Sue, is a jazz singer. She grew up in the
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner-city area of Liverpool in the historic county of Lancashire and the ceremonial county of Merseyside.
Toxteth is located to the south of Liverpool city centre, bordered by Aigburth, Canning, Dingle, and Edge Hill.
The area w ...
area of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
.
Her love of drama started when she was nine, and she attended drama and dance classes every Saturday. When she was 14, she moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with her family. She trained at the
Courtyard Theatre School.
Career
Early career
Eyo's first television appearance was in 1997, in ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', which was filmed earlier. She also made an appearance on ''
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates'' is a British crime drama television series, starring Patricia Routledge as the title character, Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp, that aired for four series between 3 January 1996 and 4 September 1998 on BBC One. ...
'' and appeared in Gold the follow up drama series to Band Of Gold as a young prostitute involved with Yardie gangsters who come over to Bradfords red light district from Leeds to clear up the Lane. In 1999, Eyo appeared with
Goldie
Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ.
Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...
in the
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
film ''
Everybody Loves Sunshine'' known as ''B.U.S.T.E.D.'', internationally. She also starred in the movie ''
G:MT - Greenwich Mean Time''.
However, Eyo's big break came in 1998 when she was offered the part of
Denny Blood, in ''Bad Girls''. The series was broadcast in June the following year when the UK viewing public first saw Eyo as Denny Blood in a pink PVC suit dancing to the ''
N-Trance
N-Trance () are a British electronic music group who were formed by Kevin O'Toole and Dale Longworth in 1991. The group is known for their European hit songs " Set You Free" and "Electronic Pleasure", and their covers of the 1970s disco songs " ...
'' remix of ''
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The band co-produced ...
'' by the
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees
were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in ...
.
''Bad Girls''
At the end of the sixth series (in which Eyo did not appear), the character of
Denny Blood was voted the sixth favourite inmate on ''Bad Girls: Most Wanted''. Denny's tragic upbringing, lead to the touching and tragic storylines with her mother, Jessie Devlin (played by
Denise Black
Denise Black (born 16 March 1958) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Coronation Street'' and ''Emmerdale'' and guest starring as ''Jessie Devlin'' Denny Blood's mother in '' ITV drama series '' Bad Girls''.
Early lif ...
), and the relationship with stand-in mother
Yvonne Atkins
Yvonne Atkins is a fictional character from the award-winning prison drama series '' Bad Girls''. Portrayed by Linda Henry, Yvonne first appeared in the finale episode of Series 1. She played a prominent role in Series 2, 3, 4 and 5 as Top Dog o ...
(
Linda Henry
Linda Varilis (''née'' Henry; born 24 August 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV drama '' Bad Girls'' and Shirley Carter in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', a role she has played since 200 ...
). Blood also met the love of her life
Shaz Wiley (
Lindsey Fawcett), who died at the end of Series 4. Denny was devastated but found comfort in painting and was last seen being transferred to an open prison to serve the rest of her sentence. Just before ''Bad Girls'' was axed, the ''Bad Girls creators were going to ask Eyo to reprise her role as Denny.
During this time, Eyo also appeared in the film ''The Low Down'', in an episode of ''
Urban Gothic'' and in ''
Tube Tales
''Tube Tales'' is a 1999 British anthology film of nine short films based on the true-life experiencesThe person who submitted the details of the experience to Time Out magazine being credited as 'Originator'. of London Underground passengers as ...
''. Since leaving ''Bad Girls'', Eyo appeared in ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'' twice, as two separate characters, and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. Eyo plays Gaynor Harvey in Shed Productions drama ''
''. However, ''Bombshell'' still has not been shown in the UK, but has aired in New Zealand.
Eyo has studied at the Court Theater Training Company and has been working professionally for 14 years. Eyo has also performed at various theatres including the Royal Court Theatre, Nottingham. She also performed in the critically acclaimed play ''Any Which Way''.
). Eyo's role ended on 6 August 2015 when her character died in a helicopter crash.
. She is a supporter and patron of The Proud Trust, an
charity that provides services and support for young people.