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'' and Katy Lewis in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a British television 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 East End of London, the ...

''.

Life and career

Lahbib was born in

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

to a Scottish poet and artist mother and a French-Algerian chef father. Lahbib trained in Drama at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. 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 is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

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 ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...

'' and '' Dangerfield'', she received her first leading role when she was cast in the ITV daytime drama ''

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'' 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 ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

'' as Jacqueline Cutler, '' Fallen'' as DCI Kate Gunning, '' Single-Handed'' as Gemma Burge, '' Monarch of the Glen'' as Isobel Anderson and crime drama series '' Wire in the Blood'' as DCI Alex Fielding. She appeared in this last role from series four to series six. She also featured in ''

Da Vinci's Demons ''Da Vinci's Demons'' is a historical fantasy drama television series that presents a fictional account of Leonardo da Vinci's early life. The series was conceived by David S. Goyer and stars Tom Riley in the title role. It was developed and ...

'' as Laura Cereta, '' The Loch'' as Mhari Toner and as Debbie O'Callaghan in '' A Confession''. In 2005, Lahbib appeared in '' Red Mercury'', a feature film with

Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...

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

Philomena Philomena ( ), also known as Saint Philomena (; ) or Philomena of Rome ( 10 January 291 10 August 304) was a virgin (title)#Virgin martyrs, virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three ti ...

'', with

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

, ''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 () is a phenomenon within psychotherapy in which repetitions of old feelings, attitudes, desires, or fantasies that someone displaces are subconsciously projected onto a here-and-now person. Traditionally, it had solely co ...

'' 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 Katy Lewis 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 Alumni of Queen Margaret University Scottish television actresses Scottish people of French descent Scottish people of Algerian descent Actors from Stirling 20th-century Scottish actresses 21st-century Scottish actresses Scottish film actresses Scottish video game actresses Actresses from Stirling (council area)