Jessica Kate Plummer (born 16 September 1992) is an English actress and singer. From 2013 to 2015, she was a member of the British girl group

Neon Jungle Neon Jungle were a British girl group consisting of Shereen Cutkelvin, Amira McCarthy, Jessica Plummer, and Asami Zdrenka. They were best known for their second single "Braveheart (song), Braveheart", which peaked at number four on the UK Singl ...

, with whom she released an

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

that peaked at number eight on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. She is also known for her roles as Chantelle Atkins 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 ...

'' (2019–2020) and as Emma in the BBC drama series '' The Girl Before'' (2021) for which she was nominated for a

British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress This is a list of the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress. The British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA TV Awards) were first presented in 1954. They are the UK equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the United States. From 195 ...

. Aside from her singing and acting career, Plummer has also ventured into reality television; she appeared in the twentieth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here'' in 2020.

Early life and education

Jessica Kate Plummer was born on 16 September 1992 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to a Jamaican father and an English mother. She went to

Burntwood School Burntwood School is a girls' secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Wandsworth, London, England, opened in September 1986. It is one of the largest state schools for girls at the secondary level in the country. History ...

and the

Hayes School Hayes School is a mixed secondary school with academy status located in the suburb of Hayes within the London Borough of Bromley. The school has approximately 1,800 students, of whom 500 are in the sixth form. History The school became i ...

for secondary education.

Career

In November 2012, music manager David Cooper began a three-month process of auditions for a new girl group to be signed to RCA Records UK. Plummer, as well as Amira McCarthy, were separately scouted while shopping in London, while Shereen Cutkelvin and Asami Zdrenka were found via their solo

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

videos. In February 2013, it was announced that Plummer, alongside Cutkelvin, McCarthy, and Zdrenka made the line-up of new British girl group

. They chose the name Neon Jungle, which was derived from their song "

Welcome to the Jungle "Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured as the opening track on their debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). It was released as the album's second single initially in the UK in September 1987 ...

", to reflect that the members were "all individual and quite different". According to Plummer, "it's like neon is bold, bright, strong individual characters and then the jungle part is the madness". In July 2013, Neon Jungle released their debut single "

Trouble Trouble may refer to: Film and television * ''Trouble'' (1922 film), an American silent comedy-drama film directed by Albert Austin * ''Trouble'' (1933 film), a British comedy film * ''Trouble'' (1977 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Trouble'' ...

", which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 12 and reached the top 10 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart. In October 2013, Plummer, with Neon Jungle, supported

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind ...

on select dates of her Alive Tour. The following month, the group performed at the annual

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is an annual promotional event sponsored by and featuring Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie. From 1995 to 2018, Victoria's Secret used the show to market its goods in high-profile settings. Models under ...

. Also in October 2013, Plummer made her television debut in British science fantasy television series ''

Wizards vs Aliens ''Wizards vs Aliens'' is a British science fantasy television programme produced by BBC Cymru Wales and FremantleMedia Enterprises for CBBC and created by Russell T Davies and Phil Ford. The series focuses on the exploits of 16-year-old wizar ...

'' as Chloe Martin. She portrayed the role for two episodes. In November 2013, Neon Jungle's second single, "Braveheart", was released in the UK. The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and at number 19 on the

ARIA charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

. On 28 July 2014, Neon Jungle released their debut album ''

'', which entered the

at number eight. The album also entered the ARIA charts, debuting at number 48. On 6 July 2015, Neon Jungle announced via their

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page that they were disbanding. In November 2015, it was announced that Plummer has joined the cast of

John Cameron Mitchell John Cameron Mitchell (born April 21, 1963) is an American actor, playwright, screenwriter, singer, songwriter, producer and director. He is known as the writer, director and star of the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch (film), Hedwig and t ...

's directed romantic-comedy film '' How to Talk to Girls at Parties'' opposite

Ruth Wilson Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She has played the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama '' Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), Alison Lockhart in the Showtime dram ...

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

Elle Fanning Mary Elle Fanning (born April 9, 1998) is an American actress. Her works include both independent films and blockbusters, and her accolades include a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and ...

and

Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...

. It premiered at the

2017 Cannes Film Festival The 70th Cannes Film Festival took place from 17 to 28 May 2017, in Cannes, France. Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar was the president of the jury for the main competition. Italian actress Monica Bellucci hosted the opening and closing cerem ...

in May 2017. In March 2019, Plummer joined the

soap opera ''

'', portraying the role of Chantelle Atkins. While on the soap, her character was involved in a high-profile domestic abuse storyline, with her on-screen husband

Gray Atkins Gray Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Toby-Alexander Smith. He was introduced by executive producer Kate Oates in episode 5893, broadcast on 29 March 2019, as the patriarch of the Atkins family, whi ...

(

Toby-Alexander Smith Toby-Alexander Smith (born 26 February 1991) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Gray Atkins in the BBC One, BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2019 to 2022. Early life and education Smith was born on 26 February 1991 in Lich ...

) abusing Chantelle. In September 2020, it was announced that as part of the storyline, Gray would murder Chantelle, in order to reflect the mortality rates displayed in abusive relationships and highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence. She made her last appearance in an episode broadcast on 22 September 2020. In November 2020, Plummer began competing in the twentieth series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here''. She became the sixth celebrity to be eliminated alongside

Russell Watson Russell Watson (born 24 November 1966) is an English crossover/popular singer, almost in the tenor range, who has released singles and albums of both quasi-operatic-style and pop songs. He began singing as a child, and became known after per ...

on 1 December 2020. Plummer starred as Emma in the 2021 miniseries '' The Girl Before'', which earned her nominations for the

and for Drama Performance at the 27th National Television Awards.

Personal life

In July 2016, Plummer gave birth to a daughter.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plummer, Jessica 1992 births 21st-century English actresses 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century English women singers Actresses from London Alumni of the Identity School of Acting Black British actresses English contemporary R&B singers English dance musicians English film actresses English people of Jamaican descent English pop singers English soap opera actresses English television actresses Living people Actors from the London Borough of Wandsworth Singers from the London Borough of Wandsworth People from Wandsworth