Holly Matthews
Holly Matthews | |
|---|---|
| Born | Holly Wilkinson 13 October 1984 Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Spouse |
Ross Blair
(m. 2012; died 2017) |
| Children | 2 |
Holly Matthews (née Wilkinson; born 13 October 1984) is an English actress and vlogger. From 1995 to 2003, she portrayed the role of Emma Miller in the BBC series Byker Grove.
Career
[edit]Matthews started her career in the BBC children's drama Byker Grove, portraying the role of Emma Miller from 1995 to 2003. In 2003, she left the series to pursue a singing career after signing to Sony UK, and released a single, "Little Miss Perfect". The song's instrumentation consists of a guitar and synthesiser.[1] An editor from Cambridge News noted that "Little Miss Perfect" is reminiscent of songs released by Canadian recording artist, Avril Lavigne.[2] However, they felt that it was "not the worst single ever made", although "not one you're likely to remember either."[2] Matt Gray of The Digital Fix wrote that the song "doesn't quite scan", and joked that it has "all the ferocity and attitude of a cute ickle Care Bear. He also felt that "Amy Studt and Avril Lavigne do it a lot better" and went on to describe it as a "bland, uninspired pop tune".[1] "Little Miss Perfect" peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart in the week dated 28 February 2004.[3]
Matthews attended the British drama school East 15 in 2005, and left after winning a high-profile role in the BBC drama Waterloo Road, playing the bully Leigh-Ann Galloway.[4] Since that role, Matthews has continued to act in BBC's Doctors, playing Connie Whitfield; in ITV's The Bill playing drug addict Josie Clarke; and she was back in Doctors in 2009, playing Tansy Flack.
Away from her acting career, Matthews works as a self-development coach.[5] In November 2016, she launched her flagship online, self-development course The Bossing it! Academy.[6]
After the death of her husband following a three-year battle with a brain tumour, Matthews launched The Happy Me Project online, her straight-talking brand of self-development.
Matthews is a Huffington Post blogger,[7] and was personally asked by Arianna Huffington to write for Thrive Global. Matthews is also a paid vlogger, creating content for Channel Mum.[8]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–2003 | Byker Grove | Emma Miller | 100 episodes |
| 2005 | Teen Diary | Claire Robinson | Short |
| 2007 | Give It to Me | Paula | Short |
| 2007 | Waterloo Road | Leigh-Ann Galloway | 3 episodes |
| 2007 | The Bill | Josie Clarke | Episode: "Day of Reckoning" |
| 2007, 2009 | Doctors | Connie Whitfield, Tansy Flack | Episode: "Teenage Kicks" Episode: "No Going Back" |
| 2008 | Beautiful People | Adult Imelda | Episode: "How I Got My Nose "; credited as Hollie Summer |
| 2009 | Not Dead Yet | Sara | |
| 2010 | Almost, But Not Quite | Ashley Andrews | Mini series |
| 2010 | The Dinner Party | Beth | |
| 2010 | Small Hours | Teri | Short |
| 2011, 2012, 2014 | Casualty | Candy Carter, Taylor Jones, Gina Timpson | Episode: "Till Death Us Do Part" Episode: "Cuckoo's Nest" Episode: "Keeping Schtum" Episode: "Blood Is Thicker Than Water" |
| 2012 | That Day | Gemma | Short film |
| 2013 | Stew & Punch | Chloe | Short film |
| 2014 | The Friday Fund | Sam | Short film |
| 2018 | Tommie | Tommie's Mother (voice) | Short film |
| TBA | Tin Holiday | Portman | Post-production |
Personal life
[edit]Matthews gave birth five weeks early to a daughter, Brooke, early in 2011.[9] At five months old, Brooke was diagnosed with meningitis, which Matthews herself had at seven years old. In October 2016, a video showing Brooke telling off the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, went viral.[10] Matthews also has a daughter called Texas born in 2013.
On 29 July 2017, Matthews' husband Ross Blair, son of Andy Blair and brother of Matty Blair, died from a brain tumour.[11] Matthews has raised more than £11,000 for the Warwickshire hospice where her husband spent his final days.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Summer Matthews - Little Miss Perfect". The Digital Fix. 4 November 2003. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ a b "Summer Matthews - Little Miss Perfect (Sony)". Cambridge News. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Little Miss Perfect by Summer Matthews Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
- ^ "Holly Matthews - Waterloo Road interview". Waterloo Road. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Coaching". I AM HOLLY MATTHEWS. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "bossing it! academy". I AM HOLLY MATTHEWS. 12 October 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Holly Matthews | HuffPost UK". www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Holly Matthews Online | Channel Mum". Channel Mum – The Honest Face of Parenting. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Coventry actress Holly Matthews tells of premature baby's meningitis battle". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Five-year-old girl brilliantly takes down Theresa May over homelessness". The Independent. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ "Husband of TV actress dies after wife shared heartbreaking Facebook post as he lay dying in hospice". The Mirror. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Actress raises £11k for hospice after husband dies". BBC News. 19 May 2017.