Elizabeth Estensen (born 10 August 1949) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of

Diane Sugden Diane Sugden (also Blackstock) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Elizabeth Estensen. Since her first appearance in 1999, she has been involved in several high-profile storylines, including her marria ...

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 '' Emmerdale'' from 1999 to 2021, with a guest stint in 2022. She has also made appearances in various British television series, including '' The Liver Birds'', ''

T-Bag ''T-Bag'' is a British television series about the eponymous witch-like character and her assistant, T-Shirt. The series ran from 1985 to 1992 on ''Children's ITV''. Written by Grant Cathro and Lee Pressman, each series adopted a different tit ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''.

Early and personal life

Estensen was born on 10 August 1949 and had a Norwegian grandfather, from whom she inherited her surname. She grew up in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. Her mother was a primary school teacher, and her father was a merchant seaman and solicitor's clerk. Estensen considered becoming a speech therapist, but signed up for a Drama and English teaching course at Manchester Polytechnic instead. Estensen has been married to husband Philip Allen since May 1983, and the pair have a son together, James Otto Allen.

Career

Following graduation from Manchester Polytechnic, she moved to

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 ...

and joined the Everyman repertory company. While appearing in a production of '' John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert'', she was noticed by actress

Nerys Hughes Nerys Hughes (born 8 November 1941) is a Welsh actress and narrator, known primarily for her television roles, including her part in the BBC TV series ''The Liver Birds''. Biography She was born in Rhyl, Flintshire. Her parents were Myfi and ...

, who was looking for a replacement for Polly James in her sitcom, '' The Liver Birds''. Estensen was cast as Carol Boswell, her debut television role, in 1975. After ''The Liver Birds'' concluded in 1979, Estensen made appearances in films and series including ''

'' and ''

Far from the Madding Crowd ''Far from the Madding Crowd'' (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success. It originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in ''Cornhill Magazine'', where it gained a wide readership. The novel is set in ...

''. Between 1996 and 1998, she appeared in the

soap opera ''

'' as

Pam Middleton The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1996, by order of first appearance. Stephen Reid Stephen Reid (also Potter) is the son of Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls), whom her father ...

. Then in 1999, she was cast in the ITV soap opera '' Emmerdale'' as series regular

, a role she has portrayed since. In 2007, she won a shared award at the British Soap Awards for Spectacular Scene of the Year, which saw a house collapse that her character was involved in. In September 2021, Estensen confirmed that she had filmed her final scenes as Diane in ''Emmerdale''. Her final episode was broadcast on 29 October. However, Estensen agreed to return to the soap in October 2022 for a guest stint, for the show’s 50th anniversary.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Estensen, Elizabeth 1949 births Living people English soap opera actresses English television actresses English people of Norwegian descent Actors from County Durham Actors from Stockton-on-Tees