Kelly Jane Shirley (born 11 July 1981) is an English actress who works in film, television, theatre and radio. She is known for her roles as Kirsty De La Croix in

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

comedy series ''

In the Long Run ''In the Long Run'' is a British comedy-drama television series created by Idris Elba which premiered on Sky One on 29 March 2018. Loosely based on Elba’s childhood, the show is set in the 1980s on the gritty, fictitious Eastbridge Estate in ...

'' and Carly Wicks 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 ...

''. Shirley has also portrayed Kym in ''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

'' and Sophia Peters in the BBC medical drama series ''

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 ...

''.

Career

Shirley has appeared in the film ''Bull'', directed by

Paul Andrew Williams Paul Andrew Williams (born 1973 in Portsmouth, England) is a British film writer and director. He won the New Director's Award for his film '' London to Brighton'' in the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International ...

, as well as

Terence Davies Terence Davies (10 November 1945 – 7 October 2023) was a British screenwriter, film director, and novelist. He is best known as the writer and director of autobiographical films, including '' Distant Voices, Still Lives'' (1988), '' The Long ...

' ''Benediction''. She was selected by

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

to be part of their BAFTA Elevate cohort 2020/21 programme, supporting working-class talent and underrepresented groups progressing in their careers on screen. In 2024, she joined the cast of the BBC drama series ''

'', playing the role of psych liaison nurse Sophia Peters. As well as acting, she has written a column about twin motherhood for '' Closer Magazine'' and co-hosted the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

show '' Something for the Weekend'' with

Tim Lovejoy Timothy Paul Lovejoy (born 28 March 1968) is an English television presenter best known for hosting Saturday morning football programme '' Soccer AM'' with Helen Chamberlain for over a decade and ''BT Sports Panel'' on Saturday mornings. He ...

, standing in for Amanda Hamilton who was on

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...

Personal life

Shirley has been married to writer Phil Davies since 2013. Together, the pair have twins and gave birth to another son in March 2023. She has won Celebrity Fundraiser of the Year on two separate accounts for raising awareness for the

Anthony Nolan Anthony Nolan is a UK charity that works in the areas of leukaemia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It manages and recruits donors to the Anthony Nolan Register, which is part of an aligned registry that also includes the ''Welsh Bon ...

Charity in aid of preventing

blood cancer Tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (American English) or tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues (British English) are tumors that affect the blood, bone marrow, lymph, and lymphatic system. Because these tissues are al ...

. In January 2019, she ran her third

London Marathon The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an annual marathon held in London, England. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically held in April, although it moved to Oct ...

with other former ''EastEnders'' actors for a

Dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...

campaign in honour of

Barbara Windsor Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the Carry On (franchise), ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders''.

Filmography

*'' Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' – Mabel Mercer (2002) *'' Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon'' – Trish Cooper (2002) *''Whacked'' – Waitress (2002) *''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

– Alanah 2003''- murdered prostitute 2 episodes *''

– Christmas Special'' – ''Blind Date'' KYM (Contestant) (2003) *''

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

'' – Betting Shop Girl (2004) *'' Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky'' – Violet (2005) *''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published between 1880 and 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' () and ''Heidi: How She Used What She Learned'' ( ...

'' – Tinette (2005) *''Too Much Too Young'' – Mandy (2005) *'' Murder City'' – Episode 'Wives And Lovers' as Lucy Chalmers (2006) *''Coming Up'' (TV series) ''– Happy $lapz'' – Lisa (2006) *''

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

'' – Royal Court Actress #1 (2006) *'' The Sick House'' – Joolz (2007) *''

'' – Carly Wicks (2006–2008, 2012) *''The Grind'' – Jo (2008) *''

Parents of the Band ''Parents of the Band'' is a 2008 British comedy television series, created by Jimmy Nail and Tarquin Gotch and shown on BBC One. The show stars Jimmy Nail, and is set around a teenage musical band, which each band member's parents are trying ...

'' – Esther (2008) *'' Something for the Weekend'' – herself (2009) *''

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

'' – Madeleine Cotton (2009) *" Pencil Full of Lead" (music video) (2010) *''Self Centred'' (web series) – Lydia (2010) *'' Girl on a Bicycle'' – Marta (2012) *''Frank'' – Polly (2011) *''Tangled up in Love'' – Bride (2011) *'' Run for Your Wife'' – Susie (2012) *''RIOT'' (film 2012) – Louise * '' Everyone's Going to Die'' (film 2013) – Ali * ''Kick'' (film 2012) – Tracey *''Shame The Devil'' (film 2013) – DS Clarke *''The Marriage of Reason and Squalor'' (TV series 2015) *''

Doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

'' (TV series 2016) *''Joe All Alone'' (TV series 2018) - Stacey *''

Sunday Brunch ''Sunday Brunch'' is a British television programme presented by Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. It is broadcast live on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings and features cookery and interviews with celebrity guests. Format The programme began on 25 Ma ...

'' (TV 2018) - Herself *''

The Wright Stuff ''The Wright Stuff'' is a British television chat show which was hosted by former tabloid journalist Matthew Wright from 2000 until 2018. It aired on Channel 5 on weekday mornings from 9:15 to 11:15am. The series characterised itself as "Br ...

'' (TV 2018) - Herself *''In The Long Run'' (TV series 2018) - Kirsty De La Croix *''Ivy'' (Short film 2018) - Ivy *''Who’s The Daddy'' (TV Pilot 2018) - Rachel *'' King of Thieves'' (Feature Film 2018) - Terri Robinson *''Snapshots'' (Short film 2018) - Marie *'' Rock With Rudolph'' (Music Video) - Herself *''

Call The Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a British period drama television series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, ...

'' (TV series 2018–2019) - Connie *''

'' (TV series & Christmas Special; 2018–2020) - Kirsty De La Croix *''Merry Christmas Everyone'' (Music Video) - Herself *''Biff and Chip, series 1-3'' (BBC iPlayer/CBeebies) - ‘Mum’ - Mrs Robinson. *''

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

'' (Signature Films/Tea Shop productions 2021) - Cheryl. *''

Benediction A benediction (, 'well' + , 'to speak') is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharisti ...

'' (Emu Films, 2021) - Millicent *''

Death in Paradise ''Death in Paradise'' is a crime drama, crime television series created by Robert Thorogood, starring Ben Miller (Series 1–3), Kris Marshall (Series 3–6), Ardal O'Hanlon (Series 6–9), Ralf Little (Series 9–13) and Don Gilet (2024 Speci ...

'' (BBC One 2021) - Pamela Bellman *''

Meet the Richardsons ''Meet the Richardsons'' is a British comedy television series that premiered on 27 February 2020, on Dave. It stars comedians Jon Richardson and Lucy Beaumont as fictionalised versions of themselves discussing their lives in a mockumentary form ...

'' (ITV Studios - series 3 - 2021) - Jean *''

Ridley Ridley may refer to: Education * Ridley College (Ontario), a university preparatory boarding and day school located in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada * Ridley College (Melbourne), an evangelical theological college in Melbourne, Australia * Rid ...

'' (ITV) - Denise *''

'' (BBC, 2023) – Jo McLennon * ''

'' (BBC, 2024-) - Sophia Peters * ''Odyssey'' (Stigma/Electric Shadow 2024-) * ''Blockhead'' (Halflite 2024-) * ''Bangmouth Village'' (Baby Cow 2024-) * ''McQueen Shaven'' (Gobby Girl, 2024)

References

External links

Kellie Shirley
*
Interview with Kellie Shirley
Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art English soap opera actresses Living people Actors educated at the BRIT School 1981 births Actors from the London Borough of Croydon Actresses from London People from Croydon {{England-actor-stub