Kimberley Gail Ratcliff (''née'' Marsh, previously Ryder and Lomas; born 13 June 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and singer. In 2001, she won a place in the band
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV (TV network), ITV reality TV show ''Popstars (British TV series), Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' Media franchise, franchi ...
as a result of appearing on the
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
''. Hear'Say enjoyed brief success, achieving two UK number one singles and a UK number one album, but Marsh left the band in 2002 to pursue a solo career. She released an album titled ''
Standing Tall'' in 2003, which peaked at number nine in the UK and spawned two UK top ten singles.
From 2006 to 2019, she portrayed
Michelle Connor
Michelle Connor (also McDonald) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by former Hear'Say singer, Kym Marsh. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006. ...
on 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 ...
soap opera ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
''. She won the
British Soap Award for Best Newcomer
The British Soap Award for Best Newcomer is an award presented annually by the British Soap Awards. Unlike awards that are voted for by the general public such as Best Actress, Best Actor, Best British Soap and Best Leading Performer, the awar ...
at the
2007 British Soap Awards, as well as winning the Newcomer category at the
2007 National Television Awards and being nominated for Best Female Dramatic Performance at the
2017 British Soap Awards. In 2010, she finished in fourth place on ''
Popstar to Operastar
''Popstar to Operastar'' is a British television programme in which pop stars were trained to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show was repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme was produce ...
'', a reality show featuring well-known pop stars being trained to sing opera. Since October 2020, Marsh has co-fronted the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
morning lifestyle programme ''
Morning Live
''Morning Live'' is a "topical live series" that airs at 9:15 am on weekdays on BBC One.
Series overview
History
''Morning Live'' first broadcast in October 2020 as a 40-part series to connect with viewers' real-life concerns and to offer tr ...
'' alongside Welsh presenter
Gethin Jones
Gethin Clifford Jones (born 12 February 1978) is a Welsh television presenter. He was an active rugby union player while at Manchester Metropolitan University and, after graduation, he began his television career on Welsh language channel S4C a ...
. From 2022, she is set to begin starring in the revival of the BBC school drama series ''
Waterloo Road''.
Early life
Marsh was born on 13 June 1976 in
Whiston Hospital
Whiston Hospital is an acute general hospital in Whiston, Merseyside, though its postal address places it in adjacent Prescot. The hospital, along with St Helens Hospital, is managed by the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Hi ...
in
Whiston, Merseyside
Whiston is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. Previously recorded within the historic county of Lancashire, it is located east of Liverpool. The population was 13,629 at the 2001 Census, ...
to Pauline and David Marsh, who lived in Garswood, Ashton in Makerfield,
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan
The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after the main settlement of Wigan. It covers the towns of Atherton, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Golborne, Hindley, Ince-in-Mak ...
. She has two older brothers and one older sister. Her father was a joiner and in his spare time was the lead guitarist for the band Ricky and the Dominant Four who were a supporting act to
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
at
The Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a nightclub on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England.
The Cavern Club opened in 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 50s and early 1960s. The club became closely assoc ...
. She attended
Byrchall High School
Byrchall High School is a secondary school and specialist mathematics and computing school with academy status, in the Ashton-in-Makerfield area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester.
Admissions
It has a mixed intake of bo ...
in
Ashton-in-Makerfield and the Elliot Clarke Stage School in Liverpool for two years, leaving when she was 15.
Music career
Early singing career and Hear'Say
Marsh provided session vocals for artists including
Matt Darey
Matthew Jonathan Darey (born 29 November 1968) is an English trance music producer and performer. Darey has sold over two million albums and singles with numerous top 10 and top 20 chart hits.
Music career
Darey was born in Leicester, England. ...
, the group Freaky Realistic and the duo Hemstock & Jennings. She sang in Norwegian on the latter's track "Arctic", which caught the attention of
Paul van Dyk
Matthias Paul (; born 16 December 1971), known professionally as Paul van Dyk () is a German DJ, record producer and musician. One of the first true renowned DJs, van Dyk was the first artist to receive a Grammy Award nomination in the newly a ...
, and was remixed and re-recorded with additional vocals from
Jan Johnston
Jan Johnston (born 13th October 1968, Salford, England) is an English professional singer & songwriter, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs and producers.
Career
In the early 1990s, she was signed to Co ...
. The track, renamed "
Nothing But You", was released in the UK via
Positiva
Positiva Records is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group and concentrates on releasing dance music in the UK. The record label was set up in 1993, by Nick Halkes, who previously ran XL Recordings. Its headquarters are at the Universal UK ...
and reached number 14 in the UK charts.
In late 2000, Marsh auditioned for 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 ...
talent show ''
Popstars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Realit ...
''. She was one of the five singers chosen for the newly formed band
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV (TV network), ITV reality TV show ''Popstars (British TV series), Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' Media franchise, franchi ...
, along with
Danny Foster,
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...
,
Suzanne Shaw
Suzanne Christine Crowshaw (born 29 September 1981), known as Suzanne Shaw, is an English actress, singer and television personality, who rose to fame after winning the talent contest ''Popstars'' and subsequently being a member of the band Hear' ...
and
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan (born 28 July 1980 as Noel John Hayes) is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show '' Popstars''.
Early life
Sulli ...
. In March 2001, Hear'Say released their first single "
Pure and Simple", a cover of a track by
Girl Thing
Girl Thing were an English-Dutch girl group, consisting of members Jodi Albert, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, Michelle Barber and Nikki Stuart. They were formed in 1998 by Simon Cowell and were originally intended to rival the Spice Girls, but ...
. She was hailed by her girl bandmates as 'the funniest out of the bunch’. The song went straight to number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in March 2001, selling just under 550,000 copies. The group then released their second single, "
The Way to Your Love," in June 2001. The song became their second consecutive number 1 single. Shortly afterwards the group toured the UK. In January 2002, Marsh announced that she was leaving Hear'Say. Auditions were held to find a replacement for her, but the group split up in October 2002.
Solo career
After a while out of the spotlight Marsh signed a solo record deal with
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
. Her first single, "
Cry
Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...
", went to number 2 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and her second single, "
Come on Over
''Come On Over'' is the third studio album by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 4, 1997, by Mercury Records. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the album became the best-selling country album, the best ...
," made it to number 10.
In July 2003, Marsh released her debut solo album, ''
Standing Tall'', which peaked at number 9 in the UK.
It contained three solo singles and twelve other tracks. However, her make-or-break third single, "Sentimental", stalled at number 35,
and that resulted in her being dropped by her record label. In early 2006, Marsh entered ''
Making Your Mind Up
"Making Your Mind Up" is a song by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was the winner of the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, representing the , and was composed by Andy Hill and John Danter. Released in March 1981, it was Bucks Fizz's debut si ...
'' with a song titled "Whisper to Me", a show intended to pick a singer and a song for the UK entry in the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
. Marsh came fourth in the contest, which was won by
Daz Sampson
Darren "Daz" Sampson (born 28 November 1974) is a British professional football manager/scout, music producer and broadcaster. Sampson is known for his commercial dance music as part of several groups and his television appearances. He has had n ...
.
Television career
![Kym Marsh, Manchester Arndale (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Kym_Marsh%2C_Manchester_Arndale_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Marsh made her television acting debut in 2005, in an episode of the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
soap opera ''
Doctors
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
'', playing a character called Ruth Parry. That same year, she also became a regular panellist on
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 ...
's daytime show ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'' for its eighth series. In 2006, she played sex worker Kay Price in the first 2 episodes of
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 ...
's soap opera ''
Hollyoaks: In the City''.
Marsh joined the cast of ''
Coronation Street
''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford.
Origi ...
'', playing
Michelle Connor
Michelle Connor (also McDonald) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by former Hear'Say singer, Kym Marsh. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006. ...
from April 2006 a role she held until 2019. For her role on the show she has subsequently received Newcomer awards at the
2007 British Soap Awards and the
2007 National Television Awards, among others.
Becoming a regular character, her storylines have included a serious relationship with
Steve McDonald (
Simon Gregson
Simon Alan Gregory (born 2 October 1974), better known by his stage name, Simon Gregson, is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Steve McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since 1989. He has rece ...
), discovering that her son had been swapped at birth, the death of her eldest brother
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
(
Sean Gallagher) and the murder of her other brother
Liam
Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William.
Etymology
The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...
(
Rob James-Collier
Robert James-Collier (born 23 September 1976) (known professionally as Rob James-Collier) is a British actor. He is known for his roles as Thomas Barrow in ''Downton Abbey'' and as Liam Connor in ''Coronation Street''.
Early life
James-Coll ...
), her failed engagement to
Ciaran McCarthy
Ciaran McCarthy is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Keith Duffy. He made his first on-screen appearance on 7 August 2002, before departing in 2005. He returned in 2010 until Duffy tempora ...
(
Keith Duffy
Keith Peter Thomas Francis Julian John Duffy (born 1 October 1974) is an Irish singer, actor, radio and television presenter and drummer who began his professional music career as part of Irish boy band Boyzone alongside Ronan Keating, Mik ...
), surviving a minibus crash, becoming pregnant with Steve's baby, learning that Steve has also impregnated
Leanne Battersby
Leanne Battersby (also Tilsley and Barlow) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Jane Danson. It was announced in February 1997 that a "family from hell" would be introduced to ''Coronation ...
(
Jane Danson
Jane Danson (born Jane Elizabeth Dawson, 8 November 1978) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Leanne Battersby in the ITV soap opera, '' Coronation Street'', between 1997 and 2000, and from 2004 onwards. Her other television ...
), delivering a
stillborn
Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. The term i ...
son Ruairi and being stalked by her ex-boyfriend
Will
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will
...
(
Leon Ockenden
Leon Ockenden (born 16 August 1978) is an English actor, director and writer who works in TV, film, theatre and radio. He grew up in the resort town of Looe, Cornwall. He is best known for his role as Norman Jayden in ''Heavy Rain''.
Career
Ocke ...
). Other storylines have focused on the relationships with her sisters-in-law,
Carla
Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ''ceorl'' in Old English, which means "free man". Notable people with the name include:
* Carla, French singer and former member of the children's music group Kids United
* Carla Abe ...
(
Alison King
Alison Rosamund King (born 3 March 1973) is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles as Lynda Block in the Sky One drama series ''Dream Team'' (1998–2003, 2005–2007), and Carla Connor in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Cor ...
) and
Maria
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
* 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
* Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...
(
Samia Ghadie
Samia Maxine Longchambon (''née'' Ghadie, previously Smith; born 13 July 1982) is an English actress. She has played the role of Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since 2000.
Early life
Samia Ghadie was born in Eccles ...
), as well as her relationship with
Robert Preston (
Tristan Gemmill
Tristan John Gemmill (born 6 June 1967) is an English actor, most notable for his roles as Dr Adam Trueman on '' Casualty'', and Robert Preston in ''Coronation Street''. He was educated at Holmewood House School, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, up ...
) after the collapse of her marriage to Steve.
In 2008, as the character dominated more storylines, some fans began to tire of her as well as her behaviour. The baby-swap storyline, which Michelle was central to, was largely panned by both fans and critics, columnist
Grace Dent
Grace Dent (born 3 October 1973) is an English columnist, broadcaster and author. She is a restaurant critic for ''The Guardian'' and from 2011 to 2017 wrote a restaurant column for the ''Evening Standard''. She is a regular critic on the BBC' ...
said of the plot; "...It feels like something ripped from a copy of ''
Pick Me Up'' magazine and read to me laboriously over 22 weeks". In contrast, the 2017 stillbirth storyline as well as Marsh's performance received rave reviews and were praised by the stillbirth charity
Sands. Marsh, whose real-life son Archie was also stillborn, explained that it was important for her to take on the storyline in order to raise awareness of the issue. She also voiced for the change in law which would see stillborn children receive birth certificates. The actress also stated it was "the best way to honour" her son. She later won the
2017 British Soap Award for Best Female Dramatic Performance.
On 24 February 2019, it was announced that Marsh would be leaving the soap after 13 years and Michelle's final scenes were broadcast on 27 December 2019.
Marsh began presenting the daily morning magazine show ''Morning Live'' on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
on 26 October 2020, alongside
Gethin Jones
Gethin Clifford Jones (born 12 February 1978) is a Welsh television presenter. He was an active rugby union player while at Manchester Metropolitan University and, after graduation, he began his television career on Welsh language channel S4C a ...
. The series ended on 18 December 2020 and the BBC confirmed on 17 December it would return in 2021 for a second series. In March 2021, Marsh appeared in the fourth series of the BBC One drama ''
The Syndicate
''The Syndicate'' is a British television drama series. It was written by Kay Mellor and is broadcast on BBC One. It sees five members of a betting syndicate win the lottery. Each series follows a different syndicate. The first series is set ...
'' as Donna. A year later, she was announced as one of the starring cast members of BBC's revival of their school drama ''
Waterloo Road''.
On 4 August 2022, it was announced that Marsh would be competing on the
twentieth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing
''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
''. She was partnered with
Graziano Di Prima
Graziano Di Prima (born 7 May 1994) is an Italian dancer and choreographer.
Career
Di Prima was born in Sicily.
He toured with Burn the Floor, UK in 2021 alongside other professional dancers and the Strictly Come Dancing the Professionals Live ...
. The series launched on 24 September 2022. On 22 November 2022, it was announced that Marsh had tested positive for
COVID
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
and would, therefore, have to miss that Saturday's appearance on the show. She was the tenth celebrity to be eliminated, on 3 December 2022, after losing the dance off to
Molly Rainford
Molly Anne Rainford (born 22 November 2000) is an English singer, actress and television presenter. She was a finalist on the sixth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in 2012 and was one of the presenters on ''Friday Download'' between 2014 an ...
and
Carlos Gu
''Strictly Come Dancing'' returned for its twentieth series with a launch show on 23 September 2022 on BBC One, with live shows beginning the following day on 24 September. The launch show was originally scheduled to be broadcast on 17 Septembe ...
.
Personal life
![Michelle Connor 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Michelle_Connor_3.jpg)
Marsh has been married three times and has four children and two grandsons. She has a son named David (born 1995) and a daughter named Emilie (born 1997) from a relationship with Dave Cunliffe. She married the actor
Jack Ryder in
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
,
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...
, on 10 August 2002. It was announced on 20 March 2008 that the couple had decided to separate and would be seeking a divorce and they announced their divorce on 12 August 2009.
Marsh dated actor
Jamie Lomas
James Lomas (born 21 April 1975) is an English actor, known for his soap opera roles as Warren Fox in ''Hollyoaks'' and Jake Stone in ''EastEnders''.
Life and career
Lomas was born in Manchester. Before joining ''Hollyoaks'' in 2006, he had m ...
from July 2008 onwards. They married in Cheshire in September 2012. She and Lomas announced that they were expecting a baby in 2009. Their son, Archie, was born 18 weeks early on 11 February and died moments after birth. On 23 March 2011, their daughter Polly was born. On 3 October 2012, Marsh announced that she would be taking Lomas' name professionally. They separated in 2013 and divorced in 2014.
In May 2017, a wax figure of Marsh's ''Coronation Street'' character was added to the gallery of
Madame Tussauds Blackpool
Madame Tussauds Blackpool is a wax museum located in Blackpool, United Kingdom. The attraction opened in 2011, replacing the previous Louis Tussauds waxworks. It features over 80 wax figures of celebrities, film and television characters, athlete ...
.
In May 2019, Marsh became a grandmother when her daughter Emilie had a son. Marsh announced her engagement to Scott Ratcliff, an army major, on 14 June 2021 and they married on 16 October 2021.
Marsh became a grandmother for the second time in August 2022, when her son David and his fiancée Courtney had a son named Clayton.
Filmography
Film
Television
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Awards and nominations
Other
References
External links
*
''Morning Live''(BBC One)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Kym
1976 births
Living people
People from Whiston, Merseyside
English soap opera actresses
English stage actresses
English television actresses
English television presenters
Popstar to Operastar contestants
Marsh, Kym