Simone Nicole Jean Lahbib Ould Cheikl (; born 6 February 1965) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles as Helen Stewart in the ITV drama series '' Bad Girls'', DCI Alex Fielding in the ITV crime series ''

Wire in the Blood ''Wire in the Blood'' is a British crime drama television series, created and produced by Coastal Productions for Tyne Tees Television and broadcast on ITV from 14 November 2002 to 31 October 2008. The series is based on characters created by ...

'' and

Katy Lewis The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera '' EastEnders'' in 2020, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by the show's senior executive producer, Kate Oates, and the executive pr ...

in the BBC soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

''.

Life and career

Lahbib was born in

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

to a Scottish poet and artist mother and a French-Algerian chef father. Lahbib trained in Drama at Edinburgh’s

Queen Margaret University Queen Margaret University is a university, founded in 1875 and located in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Scottish Queen Saint Margaret. History The university was founded in 1875, as ''The Edinburgh School of Cookery and Domestic ...

. She then commenced her on-screen career in 1985 when she was cast in '' The Girl in the Picture'', a film set in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

directed by Cary Parker. She also sang on the soundtrack. Lahbib has worked extensively in television and film, after starting her career predominantly in theatre. Following guest appearances on well-known television dramas such as '' Taggart'' and '' Dangerfield'', she received her first leading role when she was cast in the ITV daytime drama ''

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It re ...

'' as Mary O'Connor, from 1996 to 1997. Her next role in 1997 was in the third and final series of police drama '' Thief Takers'' where she met her future husband, Raffaello Degruttola. This was followed by her appearance in the 6-part comedy series '' The Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star'' in 1998. In 1999, Lahbib became widely recognised for her leading role in the cult British prison drama series '' Bad Girls'', in which she played Helen Stewart. Following her departure from ''Bad Girls'', Lahbib has had leading roles in several TV drama series including ''

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

'' as Jacqueline Cutler, '' Fallen'' as DCI Kate Gunning, '' Single-Handed'' as Gemma Burge, '' Monarch of the Glen'' as Isobel Anderson and crime drama series ''

'' as DCI Alex Fielding. She appeared in this last role from series four to series six. She also featured in '' Da Vinci's Demons'' as Laura Cereta, '' The Loch'' as Mhari Toner and as Debbie O'Callaghan in '' A Confession''. In 2005, Lahbib appeared in ''

Red Mercury Red mercury is purportedly a substance of uncertain composition used in the creation of nuclear weapons, as well as other weapons systems. Because of the great secrecy surrounding the development and manufacturing of nuclear weapons, there is no ...

'', a feature film with

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film '' Grease'' (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series '' The West Wing'' ...

, and has frequently appeared in films since, such as the award-winning '' Philomena'', with

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

, ''Wayland's Song'', ''Film: The Movie'' (which she co-produced), and ''Burning Men'', on which she was also co-casting director. She also appeared in the independent feature film ''

Transference Transference (german: Übertragung) is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which the "feelings, attitudes, or desires" a person had about one thing are subconsciously projected onto the here-and-now Other. It usually concerns feelings from a ...

'' in 2020, which was written and directed by her husband. In 2017, Lahbib opened her second part-time performing arts school, London Arts Academy in North London. The school teaches singing, dancing and acting to children ages 5–18 years. In September 2020, it was announced that she had joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''

''. She made her debut appearance as

in November of that year.

Personal life

Lahbib married British-Italian actor Raffaello Degruttola on 10 May 2003 in her hometown of

, Scotland. In October 2005, she gave birth to their daughter, Skye Lucia Degruttola, who also became an actress. In 2010 Lahbib established the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund in honour of her niece who died of cancer on 25 March 2010, nine days before her 16th birthday. The charity fund will benefit children with cancer and their families.

Filmography

; Film ; Television ; Additional credits * ''Long Haul'' (2000 short film) * ''Call Me'' ... Holly (2004 short film) * ''Ark'' (2008 short film) * '' Zip 'n Zoo'' ... Marion (2008 short film) * ''The Other Side of My Sleep'' ... Maria (2010 short film) * '' Divinity: Dragon Commander'' ... Aida (2013 video game) * ''As He Lay Falling'' ... Bronte (2014 short film) * ''Flicker and Go Out'' ... Lesley Parsons (2019 short film) * ''Dark Road'' ... Aileen (2019 short film) * ''Family Tree'' ...Jackie (2019 short film) * ''Baby Dear'' ...Mother (2019 short film)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lahbib, Simone 1965 births Living people Scottish television actresses Scottish people of French descent Scottish people of Algerian descent People from Stirling 20th-century Scottish actresses 21st-century Scottish actresses Scottish film actresses Scottish video game actresses