Kelly Jane Shirley (born 11 July 1981),[2] known professionally as Kellie Shirley is an English actress who works in film, television, theatre and radio. She hails from Croydon via a large Northern Irish family. She has also co-presented programmes for BBC2 and Channel 5. She is known for her role as Kirsty De La Croix in Sky One comedy series In the Long Run created by Idris Elba. She is also perhaps best known for the role of Carly Wicks in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She returned to the soap in September 2012 for a short dramatic storyline. Other notable credits include The Office and the feature films King of Thieves and Wimbledon.
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Kellie Shirley | |
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![]() Kellie Shirley in 2015. | |
Born | (1981-07-11) 11 July 1981 (age 41) Croydon, London, England |
Years active | 2002–present |
Notable work | Kirsty in In The Long Run and Carly Wicks in EastEnders (2006–2008, 2012) |
Spouse | Phil Davies |
Children | 2[1] |
Website | www |
Kellie was selected by BAFTA to be part of their BAFTA Elevate 2020/21 programme which supports working-class talent and underrepresented groups on screen.[3] She started her career via the National Youth Theatre and B.R.I.T school. Her recent credits include: three series of comedy in the Long Run for Sky One, Death in Paradise, Call the Midwife, BBC, Children’s series Biff and Chip and the BAFTA-winning and Emmy nominated series Joe all Alone and mini series The Marriage of Reason and Squalor for Sky Arts.
She played "Mable" in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Working Title), "Kym" in The Office Christmas specials and "Violet" in BBC 4 mini series Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky soon after graduating.
Kellie co-hosted the BBC Two show Something for the Weekend with Tim Lovejoy, standing in for Amanda Hamilton who was on maternity leave.[4] Kellie has since appeared regularly on Sunday Brunch and on magazine show The Wright Stuff she is now a regular on Matthew Wright’s show on Talk Radio. She featured in the "Pencil Full of Lead" video by Scottish singer Paolo Nutini.
For film she can next be seen as "Cheryl" in British feature film Bull and as "Millicent" in Terence Davies' film Benediction. She played the role of "Terri Robinson" in King of Thieves for Studio Canal and Working Title film. The central role of "Louise" for Lionsgate in their feature film Riot about the London Riots and Susie Browning in Run for Your Wife alongside Judi Dench and Danny Dyer. In the film Girl on a Bicycle, directed by Jeremy Leven, Kellie plays 'Marta' opposite Paddy Considine. She played Ali in the independent film Everyone's Going to Die The film won a Dinard award.
Kellie played the central role of "Lydia" in the six-part series Self Centered for Pollibee Pictures produced by Kevin Proctor.
For theatre she played "Stella Stone" in Royal National Theatre State of the Nation play about the phone hacking scandal Great Britain directed by Nick Hytner. This was after finishing a lengthy run in the West End at The Theatre Royal Haymarket in One Man, Two Guvnors as "Pauline" after its international tour clocking up over 700 performances. Kellie has also worked at the RSC, Royal National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre.
Kellie has worked extensively for BBC Radio 4, including three series of comedy House on Fire written by Chris Sussmann and long running series A Small Town Murder.
Kellie has been nominated three times for celebrity supporter of the year. She won it in 2019 for raising awareness for new Mother’s to consider donating cord blood (which doesn’t harm the mother or baby and gives someone with blood cancer a second chance at life.) She is ambassador for the charities Anthony Nolan and Mencap. She is also youth group patron for the charity Magpie Dance.
In January 2019 it was announced that she would be running the London Marathon with other former EastEnders actors for a Dementia campaign in honour of Barbara Windsor.[5]
She has girl/boy twins who were born in late Summer 2015.
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