Jodi Albert (born 22 July 1983) is a British actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

soap opera ''

Hollyoaks ''Hollyoaks'' is a British soap opera which originally began airing on Channel 4 on 23 October 1995. It was created by Phil Redmond, who had previously conceived the soap opera ''Brookside (TV series), Brookside''. From 2005 to 2023, episodes h ...

'', as a member of Simon Cowell's British

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

Girl Thing Girl Thing were a British–Dutch girl group, consisting of members Jodi Albert, Michelle Barber, Anika Bostelaar, Linzi Martin, and Nikki Stuart. They were formed in 1998 by Simon Cowell and were originally intended to rival the Spice Girls, b ...

, and as a member of Irish girl group Wonderland.

Early life

Jodi Albert attended the independent

Sylvia Young Theatre School Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent school in Marble Arch, London, England. It is a specialist performing arts school named after its founder and principal, Sylvia Young OBE. Outline The Sylvia Young Theatre School was founded in 19 ...

, and shared lessons with

Lee Ryan Lee Ryan (born 17 June 1983) is an English singer, songwriter, and voice actor. He is best known as the lead singer of the boy band Blue. Early life Lee Ryan was born in Chatham, Kent. His parents split up when he was six years old. Ryan most ...

Matt Willis Matt Willis (born 8 May 1983) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted (band), Busted. Willis released his debut solo album ''Do ...

Billie Piper Billie Paul Piper (born Leian Paul Piper; 22 September 1982) is an English actress and former singer who is best known for her portrayal as Rose Tyler in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010). She initially gained recognition as a singer a ...

, and

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

. At the age of ten, she was cast in the starring role of Young Cosette in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' at London's Palace Theatre. Jodi signed her first recording contract at age 15 years old to Simon Cowell's group

. They had a top ten hit and their album went gold in Asia and Australia. Girl Thing subsequently reunited for the second series of ''

The Big Reunion ''The Big Reunion'' is a British reality-documentary series that began airing on ITV2 on 31 January 2013. The show featured chart-topping bands who were big in the UK pop music scene between the 1990s and early 2000s, and the programme followed ...

''. In 2002, Albert joined the cast of the soap opera ''

'' on Channel 4, playing Debbie Dean. She left in 2005 but returned for guest appearances in 2005 and 2006. In 2005, Albert won the

British Soap Award The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV (TV network), ITV. The trophies given to the winners are made from metal a ...

for ''Sexiest Female'' for her role in ''Hollyoaks.'' After leaving ''Hollyoaks,'' she appeared in Five sitcom '' Respectable;'' ''

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 ...

, and'' ''

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' is a British crime drama television series that aired on BBC One from 12 March 2001 to 1 June 2008, consisting of six series and 24 episodes. The protagonist, Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl ...

'' for 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 ...

; and the British film ''

Popcorn Popcorn (also called popped corn, popcorns, or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel which expands and puffs up when heated. The term also refers to the snack food produced by the expansion. It is one of the oldest snacks, with evidence of p ...

'', opposite ex-''

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 ...

'' star Jack Ryder. In 2008, Albert signed her second record deal and became part of the Irish-based girl group Wonderland'','' who wrote and helped create their successful UK top ten 10 album, '' Wonderland''. She was heavily involved in the creative part of this band formed with

Kian Egan Kian John Francis Egan (born 29 April 1980) is an Irish pop singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as a member of the pop group Westlife. Westlife have released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won numerous award ...

, in partnership with music manager

Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s an ...

. Albert has posed for numerous photoshoots for several men's magazines, including ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

'' and '' FHM'', and is featured in ''Maxim'''s "Girls of ''Maxim''" gallery, also being named three times in ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women list: No. 93 in 2003; No. 73 in 2004; and No. 65 in 2005.

Personal life

Albert married

, a member of the Irish

vocal group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrume ...

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

, on 9 May 2009, in

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. On 31 July 2011, the couple announced they were expecting their first baby. The birth of their son Koa was announced on 20 December 2011. In November 2014, it was announced that they were expecting their second child. In February 2015, her mother, Eileen, died after suffering from cancer for eight years. On 21 May 2015, Albert gave birth to her second child, a son named Zekey. On 30 March 2017, Jodi announced on her Instagram that they were expecting their third child. Their third son, Cobi Egan, was born on 29 September 2017. The family live in

Strandhill Strandhill or occasionally Larass () is a coastal town and townland on the Coolera Peninsula in County Sligo, Ireland. , the population was 1,753, an increase of 10% from the 2011 census. The old name appears to be ''Ros Dragnige'' (see Killa ...

County Sligo County Sligo ( , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region and is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in ...

Filmography

Songwriting credits

*"Air Brush" *"Believe" *"Bounce" *"Don't Look Down" *"Getting Mad Not Even" *"Girl Thing" *"Girlfriend" *"If That's What It Takes" *"Last Goodbye" *"Last One Standing" *"Like Ya Like It" *"Not a Love Song" *"Signs" *"That's The Way We Do It" *"Time Has Run Out" *"One for the Summer"

Demo

*"La Dolce Vita"

Cameo appearance

– " Us Against the World"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Albert, Jodi 1983 births Living people Actors from the London Borough of Waltham Forest Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School British soap opera actresses English women singers English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses English television actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London People from Chingford