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Nadia Sawalha (; born 18 November 1964) is a British actress, television personality and
YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influe ...
. She played the role of
Annie Palmer on the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
''
EastEnders'' from 1997 to 1999 and Gina in ITV comedy
Second Thoughts from 1992 to 1994. She has been a long-term panellist on the
ITV daytime talk show ''
Loose Women'', being one of the original panellists from its start in 1999 until 2002, before returning to the show in 2013 after a panellist revamp. She has also had roles in
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
,
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
,
Benidorm and
99-1
''99-1'' is a British television crime thriller series, first broadcast on 5 January 1994, that ran for a total of two series on ITV. The series starred Leslie Grantham as Mick Raynor, a maverick undercover policeman tasked with taking down som ...
and presented numerous television programmes.
After winning the 2007 series of ''
Celebrity MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
'', Sawalha has continued to make appearances on cookery shows as a presenter and as a chef.
Career
After training at the
Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play '' Where the Rainbow Ends''. F ...
, Sawalha began her career in theatre. From 1997 to 1999, she starred in ''
EastEnders'' as businesswoman
Annie Palmer. Her other acting television credits include ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', ''Which Way to the War'' and
ITV police drama, ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
''. Sawalha has also appeared in the films ''
Clockwise
Two-dimensional rotation can occur in two possible directions. Clockwise motion (abbreviated CW) proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back up to the top. The opposite ...
'' (1986), ''Which Way to the War'' (1994), ''
Slave of Dreams
''Slave of Dreams'' is a 1995 television film based on the story of Joseph in the Bible, directed by Robert M. Young, produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Martha De Laurentiis and written by Ron Hutchinson. The film stars Adrian Pasdar as Joseph, ...
'' (1995), ''The Vanishing Man'' (1996) and the BBC
Victorian drama ''
Station Jim
Slough railway station, in Slough, Berkshire, England, is on the Great Western Main Line, halfway between London Paddington and Reading. It is down the line from the zero point at Paddington and is situated between to the east and to the wes ...
'' (2001), ''Caught in the Act'' (1997).
From 1999 to 2002, Sawalha was a regular panellist on the lunchtime chat show ''
Loose Women''. She returned in October 2013.
In 2001, Sawalha presented the short-lived
ITV quiz programme ''It's Not the Answer'' with
Peter Dickinson
Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories.
Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...
as the announcer.
For the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, Sawalha has fronted four series of ''Passport to the Sun'', the ''Total'' series, ''TV Mail'', ''
Heir Hunters
''Heir Hunters'' is a BBC television programme focusing on attempts to find missing or unknown heirs, entitled to deceased people's estates before the British Treasury lawfully collects the money. The show follows the work of probate researchers ...
'', ''Perfect Partner'' and ''Family Exchange''. She is also a co-host on the live documentary ''City Hospital''. Sawalha has previously hosted the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
show ''Living in the Sun'', about British expats living in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, made by Ricochet, and ''
Wanted Down Under
''Wanted Down Under'' is a BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which in ...
'', which shows families who want to make the move
Down Under
The term ''Down Under'' is a colloquialism which is differently construed to refer to Australia and New Zealand, or Pacific Island countries collectively.Oxford English Dictionary (Electronic), Version 4.0, entry fordown under. The dictionary r ...
(
Australia, occasionally
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
) and what it would be like to live and work in those Antipodean nations. She can also be seen on ''
Accidents Can Happen'', a daytime
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
programme produced by
Twofour
Twofour is a British television and digital media group founded in 1989 by Charles Wace, a former BBC news producer, and Christopher Slade, a BBC presenter. With its headquarters in Plymouth, Twofour has offices in London and Los Angeles.
In ...
, which follows families as they try to rebuild their homes and their lives following disaster.
In 2005, Sawalha presented the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
programme ''Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre'' which followed learner drivers as they learnt to drive and took their driving tests with varying degrees of success. Sawalha was one of the learner drivers who ended up passing her driving test at the end of the second series. In the same year and on the same network, Sawalha also co-presented with Jeremy Milnes for the programme ''Keeping Up with the Joneses''.
In the summer of 2006, Sawalha began co-presenting ''
The One Show
''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
'' with
Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967) is a British writer and television and radio presenter. He has co-presented both ''The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–2011) with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for foo ...
. However, due to her pregnancy, she did not return to the show in the summer of 2007 and was replaced by
Christine Bleakley
Christine Louise Lampard ('' née'' Bleakley, born 2 February 1979) is a Northern Irish broadcaster. She has presented various television programmes with Adrian Chiles, such as ''The One Show'' (2007–2010) and '' Daybreak'' (2010–11), while ...
.
After winning ''
Celebrity MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
'', Sawalha went on to co-present the children's version of the show ''
Junior Masterchef
''Junior MasterChef'' is a British TV cookery competition, broadcast by the BBC, in which nine to twelve-year-olds compete to be crowned "Junior MasterChef". It is a spin-off from the main UK series of ''MasterChef''.
''Junior MasterChef'' firs ...
'', she was said to be 'delighted' to be given the chance to host the show.
In 2008, Sawalha returned to
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, to present the daytime programme, ''
Wanted Down Under
''Wanted Down Under'' is a BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which in ...
''. She presented the 2009 programme ''Eating in the Sun'', produced by her husband Mark Adderley and has Sawalha challenged by celebrity chefs to cook in their favourite holiday restaurants.
From 15 February until 20 August 2010, Sawalha presented the reality programme ''Instant Restaurant'' for
BBC Two.
In December 2010, Sawalha presented in a fitness DVD entitled ''Nadia Sawalha: Fat To Fab'', after losing three and a half stone.
In July 2011, Sawalha guest presented
ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited (previously known as GMTV Limited) is the national ITV breakfast television licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc in November 2009. The breakfast license ...
programme ''
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...
'' and has since made regular appearances on the show, not only as a stand-in presenter but also as a resident chef.
In January 2011, Sawalha starred in the sixth series of ITV's ''
Dancing on Ice'' with Scottish professional
Mark Hanretty, but was voted out in a double elimination in the first week along with
Angela Rippon
Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944)"Angela Rippon," ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Detroit: Gale, (2008) ''Gale Biography In Context'' is an English television journalist, newsreader, writer and presenter. Rippon presented radio and tele ...
and her partner
Sean Rice
Sean Rice (July 20, 1972 – January 14, 2022) was a Canadian pair skater who also competed in the fours discipline. With Jodeyne Higgins, he was the 1995 Skate Canada International bronze medalist, the 1992 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalist, an ...
.
In April 2012, she began co-presenting ''
Saturday Cookbook'' on
ITV Breakfast
ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited (previously known as GMTV Limited) is the national ITV breakfast television licensee, broadcasting in the United Kingdom. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc in November 2009. The breakfast license ...
with chef
Mark Sargeant.
In 2012, Sawalha presented the
UKTV
UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through ...
Home series ''Kitchen SOS''.
From 27 October to 29 December 2013, Sawalha and
Kaye Adams
Kaye Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a United Kingdom, Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV (TV network), ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular pa ...
co-hosted one series of ''
Sunday Scoop'', a cookery show.
From 7 January 2015, Sawalha took part in the fifteenth series of ''
Celebrity Big Brother
''Big Brother VIP'', is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, the housemates or houseguest ...
'' on Channel 5. She lasted 24 days in the house before being evicted.
Sawalha presented her own cookery show, ''Nadia's Family Feasts'', on ITV. She took inspiration from busy households around the world as she searched for new ideas for recipes that would fit into hectic schedules. Each week, she was joined by a guest chef with a passion or expertise in that cuisine.
Sawalha now hosts a few podcasts with her husband, Mark Adderley. In "How to Stay Married (So Far)" Nadia and Mark talk about the ups and downs of married life. In "Confessions of a Modern Parent", they discuss the modern issues that face teenagers, with an insight from Sawalha's daughter Maddie, and Carlitos, Lisa Mejuto's son.
Books
*''Stuffed Vine Leaves Saved My Life'' (2010)
*''Greedy Girl's Diet'' (2013)
*''Greedy Girl's Diet: Second Helpings!'' (2013)
*''Fabulous Family Food'' (2014)
*''Nadia Sawalha's Little Black Dress Diet'' (2016)
*''Nadia and Kaye: Disaster Chef'' (2018) – with
Kaye Adams
Kaye Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a United Kingdom, Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV (TV network), ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular pa ...
YouTube
Sawalha started a YouTube channel with fellow ''
Loose Women'' panellist
Kaye Adams
Kaye Adams (born 28 December 1962) is a United Kingdom, Scottish television presenter and journalist. She was an anchor on ITV (TV network), ITV topical discussion show ''Loose Women'' from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2013 and was a regular pa ...
. They had their own
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
account,
Instagram account and
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page where they did weekly vlogs, cooking videos, film and TV programme reviews. They also focused on daily normal family routines as well. This account, however, is now inactive.
Sawalha launched a Sawalha-Adderley YouTube channel. ''The Sawalha-Adderleys'' (Originally ''Nadia Sawalha and Family'') on Monday 25 August 2014, featuring Sawalha with her husband Mark Adderley. Also regularly appearing are their two children, Sawalha's parents, Adderley's mother Nanni Di, Sawalha 's sister Dina and Sawalha 's best friend and make-up artist, Lisa and her two children.
The channel began as a film and TV show review where Sawalha, Adderley and sometimes their children would review films coming out in the cinema, or a popular TV show on television. But by the end of 2014, her family decided to make varied content with the first being Vlogmas where the family do a vlog every day in December. This proved to be a hit with their followers. From 2015 onwards the channel has been releasing at least two videos daily.
In December 2016 the channel launched a subscription to the channel. It had a monthly cost of £1.99 and included their weekly ''The No-Named Sunday show'' which features different segments from memes, cooking, newspapers, book reviews, 'Teddy Talks', 'Lisa Loves...' and a weekly livestream for members only.
In February 2019 the channel reached 50,000 subscribers. On 4 May 2020 the channel reached 100k and received a "silver play button".
Personal life
Sawalha was raised and still lives in
Croydon
Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
, South London. She is the daughter of the
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
ian-born British actor
Nadim Sawalha
Nadim Joakim Sawalha ( ar, نديم صوالحة) (born 9 September 1935) is a Jordanian-British actor, the father of actresses Nadia and Julia Sawalha. He appeared in two Bond films, '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) and '' The Living Daylights' ...
and his English wife Roberta Lane. She is the sister of television actress
Julia Sawalha
Julia Sawalha (born 9 September 1968) is an English actress who played Saffron "Saffy" Monsoon in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She is also known for her portrayal of Lynda Day, editor of the ''Junior Gazette'', in ''Press Gang'', as ...
and has appeared on ''
Lily Savage's Blankety Blank
''Blankety Blank'' is a British comedy game show which started in 1979 and is still running today, albeit with some sizeable gaps.
The original series ran from 18 January 1979 to 12 March 1990 on BBC1, hosted first by Terry Wogan from 1979 un ...
'' with her.
In 1997, the three starred together in ''Dearest Daddy... Darling Daughter'' at the
Young Vic Theatre in South London.
Sawalha has suffered from
psoriasis
Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to complete ...
and has used
homeopathy rather than conventional treatment. In 2019, Sawalha revealed on Loose Women she suffers from
tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
.
On 25 December 1997, Sawalha's first husband Justin Mildwater ended his life by
suicide. They had been married for five years, but had split up a few months before.
On 6 June 2002, she married her second husband, television producer Mark Adderley.
Sawalha is an
atheist.
On 31 May 2017, Sawalha spoke in an emotional video online about losing her hair at the age of 52. Sawalha said that her curls were fake and she was going through the
perimenopause
Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...
, the start of the menopause. She said that a doctor told her in September 2016 she had the balding gene.
On 25 November 2022, Sawalha announced that she had been diagnosed with
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...
at the age of 58.
Filmography
Video Games
Theatre Credits
See also
*
List of Celebrity Big Brother (British TV series) housemates
*
List of Dancing on Ice contestants
The following is a list of ''Dancing on Ice
''Dancing on Ice'' is a British television series presented by Phillip Schofield alongside Holly Willoughby from 2006 to 2011, who then returned in 2018, and Christine Bleakley from 2012 to 201 ...
References
External links
*
Nadia Sawalha @ ukgameshows.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawalha, Nadia
1964 births
Living people
20th-century English actresses
21st-century English actresses
English people of Jordanian descent
ITV Breakfast presenters and reporters
English film actresses
English soap opera actresses
English television actresses
English television presenters
English atheists
Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
People from Wandsworth
British women television journalists
Reality cooking competition winners