Helen George

Helen George (born Helen Thomas; 19 June 1984) is an English actress. She plays Trixie Franklin on the BBC TV drama series Call the Midwife. In 2015, she participated in the thirteenth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing; she was paired with Aljaž Skorjanec, and finished in sixth place.

Helen George
Born
Helen Thomas

(1984-06-19) 19 June 1984
Harborne, Birmingham, England[1]
OccupationActress
Years active2006–present
Spouse(s)Oliver Boot (m. 2012–2015)
Partner(s)Jack Ashton
Children1

Early life

George was born Helen Thomas in Harborne, Birmingham, to political science professor Neil Thomas and social worker Margareth Thomas. She has a sister, Elizabeth, a veterinarian.[1]

George studied ballet as a child, eventually becoming a junior associate at Birmingham Royal Ballet, and was active in sports, competing in the long jump. As a child she dreamed of being the first female manager of Aston Villa football club.[1]

George decided that she wanted to work in musical theatre at the age of 15, when she saw a production of Les Misérables.[2] She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London and the Birmingham School of Acting.[1]

Career

George attended the Royal Academy of Music, London, studying musical theatre. She gained her first role some two weeks after graduation in the play The Woman in White.[2] She was a backing singer for Elton John during a tour. She sang at venues including both Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall.[2]

George was cast in the role of Trixie on the BBC One series Call the Midwife, based on the book by Jennifer Worth. She was daunted by the prospect of working with the likes of Pam Ferris and Jenny Agutter.[3] As part of the role she was trained in the medical techniques of the 1950s, including how to deliver a baby. In 2012, she underwent a press tour in the United States to promote the series there.[3] She also starred in the music video for singer Birdy's cover of "1901".[4]

In August 2015, George was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[5] She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec.[6] Despite continuously getting high remarks from the judges, George was eliminated in week 11, finishing in sixth place.

In May 2020, she sang “The White Cliffs of Dover” at Buckingham Palace in a BBC Special marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Personal life

George married actor Oliver Boot in December 2012.[7] They met when they were both in Hotel Babylon. In August 2015, representatives of George confirmed that she and Boot had split up after three years of marriage.

In April 2016, she began dating her Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton when they went to South Africa to film the show's Christmas special.[8] Their daughter, Wren Ivy, was born in September 2017.[9] During her pregnancy with Wren, George was diagnosed with ICP. Due to this complication, she delivered Wren three weeks early via elective cesarean section. She is a patron of the charity ICP Support.

Filmography
Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Hollyoaks Miss Jones
2008 Hotel Babylon Susie Episode: #3.2
2011 7 Lives Valerie
2011 Doctors Andrea Towers Episode: "A Life in the Day"
2011 The Three Musketeers Blonde
2012 Scar Tissue Mel Farrow
2012–present Call the Midwife Trixie Franklin Main cast
2015 Strictly Come Dancing (2015) Herself; a contestant
2017 Red Dwarf Aniter M-Corp: Season 12, Episode 5
2018 Nativity Rocks! Miss Shelly
2020 Celebrity Catchphrase Christmas Special Herself; Contestant Christmas Special

References
  1. Laws, Roz (3 October 2015). "Who is Strictly Come Dancing's Helen George?". The Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  2. "Helen George: Call The Midwife is bringing family drama back to TV". Metro. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  3. Marshall, Denise (11 February 2003). "Call The Midwife has started a baby boom but not for me, admits Helen George". Daily Express. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  4. Birdy (10 February 2012). "Birdy - 1901 [Official Music Video]" – via YouTube.
  5. "Born to boogie, it's Helen George!". BBC.
  6. Debnath, Neela (5 September 2015). "Strictly Come Dancing 2015: Ola Jordan joins Olympian Iwan Thomas as couples unveiled". Sunday Express. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  7. "Fabulous does…Vintage shopping with Helen George". Fabulous. 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  8. "Call The Midwife's Helen George gives birth to first child". Yahoo! Celebrity News UK. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
  9. Sutton, Megan (16 October 2017). "Call The Midwife's Helen George reveals her baby daughter's beautiful name". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
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