Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe (born 4 September 1983) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles of Jade Nicholls in Emmerdale and

Mercedes McQueen Mercedes McQueen (also Owen, Fisher and Browning) is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera '' Hollyoaks'', played by Jennifer Metcalfe. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 19 June 2006 as the first characte ...

in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

soap opera ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. Since 2005, episodes have been aired on ...

'', which she has appeared in since 2006. Her portrayal of the character has led to her reprising the role in the programme's spin-off series ''

Hollyoaks Later ''Hollyoaks Later'' (originally ''Late Night Hollyoaks'') is a British television spin-off of the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. The series allows for more sexual content, 'edgier' storylines and stronger language than ''Hollyoaks''. The s ...

'' between 2008 and 2020. She appeared as a contestant in the sixth series of '' Dancing on Ice'' in 2011, where she finished in tenth place.

Early life

Metcalfe was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

and grew up on the

Holme Wood Holme Wood (sometimes written as Holmewood) is a housing estate in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Geography and administration Holme Wood is situated off Wakefield Road in the south-east of the City of Bradford and borders Tyersal. It is ...

housing estate. She attended the Scala Kids drama school in her hometown. In between acting jobs, Metcalfe worked as a fitness instructor in Bradford.

Career

In her early roles, Metcalfe appeared in several television programmes, including the children's television series ''

My Parents Are Aliens ''My Parents Are Aliens'' is a British children's television sitcom that was produced for eight series by Yorkshire Television and aired on ITV from 8 November 1999 to 18 December 2006. Overview The show primarily follows the lives of three o ...

'' and 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 ...

dramas '' Where The Heart Is'', ''

At Home with the Braithwaites ''At Home with the Braithwaites'' is a British comedy-drama television series, created and written by Sally Wainwright (except for the final four episodes). The storyline follows a suburban family in Leeds, whose life is turned upside down whe ...

'' and 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, ...

''. Metcalfe's breakthrough role occurred in 2006, when she was cast as

in the

soap opera ''

''. She had previously been considered for the role of Claire Devine before her character was created. Metcalfe was the first actress to be cast in the soap by executive producer

Bryan Kirkwood Bryan Kirkwood (born 1976) is a British television producer. He was the producer of the Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'' from 2006 until 2009, and was the executive producer of the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' from 2010 until 2012. He returned as ...

. Her role in ''Hollyoaks'' has led to her appearing in its late-night spin-off series ''

'', first appearing in the first series in 2008. It was announced in April 2010 that she would return to the series for its third series later that year, and continued to reprise the role for

series 4 Series 4 could refer to: * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4, the automobile model * BMW 4 Series, the automobile model line * GeForce 4 series, line of nVidia video cards * Scania 4-series, the truck model line * South African Class 6E1, Series 4, e ...

and series 5. Despite the show concluding in 2013, a one-off special was broadcast in 2020, with Metcalfe returning, once again in a main role. On 19 December 2010, it was announced Metcalfe would take part in the sixth series of

winter sports Winter sports or winter activities are competitive sports or non-competitive recreational activities which are played on snow or ice. Most are variations of skiing, ice skating and sledding. Traditionally, such games were only played in cold are ...

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indiv ...

'' Dancing on Ice''. She was partnered with Sylvain Longchambon and was the seventh celebrity eliminated from the competition, when she finished in the bottom two of the leaderboard along with fellow contestant

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

, who was saved by the judging panel. Metcalfe quit ''Hollyoaks'' in August 2014. Her character appeared to have been killed off, departing on 18 November; unexpectedly, Metcalfe made a brief return in February 2015, where her character was revealed to be alive, with it confirmed that she would be returning on a permanent basis.

Personal life

Metcalfe confirmed her first pregnancy in February 2017 to former ''

Geordie Shore ''Geordie Shore'' is a British reality television series that was broadcast on MTV between 24 May 2011 and 22 November 2022. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England it was the British offshoot of the American show ''Jersey Shore''. The programm ...

'' star Greg Lake. She gave birth to a son on 20 June 2017, whom she named Daye Colmic Lake. Metcalfe and Lake split in 2020. She co-owns the clothing rental boutique, The Closet, in Liverpool with ''Hollyoaks'' co-stars

Claire Cooper Claire Elizabeth Cooper (born 26 October 1980) is a British actress, best known for portraying Jacqui McQueen in Channel 4 soap opera ''Hollyoaks'', a character she played from 2006 to 2013. Cooper co-owns clothing rental boutique The Closet ...

and

Leah Hackett Leah Hackett (born 15 August 1985) is an English actress, best known for her role as Tina Reilly in ''Hollyoaks''. Early life Hackett was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester to a mixed race ( English mother / African/American father) father an ...

, which opened in April 2010.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Metcalfe, Jennifer 1983 births Living people Actresses from Bradford English television actresses English soap opera actresses