Kelly-Anne Lyons (born March 17, 1985) is an American actress, television presenter, writer and model. Lyons' breakthrough role was as the female lead, Kelly-Anne Manhattan, 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 ...

comedy '' Dick and Dom's Funny Business''. Before this, Lyons played the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

in ''Chelsey: OMG!'', produced by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy and entertainment company Channel X. She is known for her characters in hidden camera sketch shows such as

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...

’s "

Fool Britannia ''Fool Britannia'' is a hidden camera sketch series which aired from 1 September 2012 to 9 November 2013 on ITV, and stars Dom Joly as he surprises members of the public with pranks. The first series aired for eight episodes. The second seri ...

" with

Dom Joly Dominic John Romulus Joly (; born 15 November 1967) is an English comedian and writer. He is best known as the star of '' Trigger Happy TV'' (2000–2003), a hidden camera prank show that was broadcast in over 70 countries. Early life Dominic ...

and

1’s "Richard Hammond’s Secret Service", as well as

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

’s "Flash Prank", Channel 5's "Secret Interview", and

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

’s "Ape Man". She plays news anchor "Felicity Bond" in the

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 ...

nominated

comedy "DNN" and "Tess" in

’s sitcom "

Badults ''Badults'' is a British sitcom series created and starring the members of Pappy's, along with Emer Kenny, Jack Docherty and Katherine Ryan in the lead roles. Written collectively by Pappy's, the first series piloted on 23 July 2013 on BBC Thre ...

Early life

Born on March 17, 1985 in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, Lyons' family moved to

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

when she was five. She went on to study at the

North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a public art school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants a high school diploma, in addition to both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina Sc ...

. Her family returned to New Jersey before she reached her teens, living in the Basking Ridge section of

Bernards Township, New Jersey Bernards Township () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 27,830, an increase of 1,178 (+4.4%) f ...

. Lyons studied at Ridge High School from 1999 to 2003. Lyons went on to attend

Marymount Manhattan College Marymount Manhattan College is a private college on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As of 2020, enrollment consisted of 1,571 undergraduate students with women making up 80.1% and men 19.9% of student enrollment. Columbia University Masters ...

, where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Psychology. Lyons also trained at the Weist Barron Hill Acting For Television and Film.

Career

Working as a model in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

while still an undergraduate, Lyons was scouted by an English

modeling agency A modeling agency is a company that represents model (person), fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agen ...

, whom she joined in London a week after her graduation. Lyons has modeled for

Special K Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars originally manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Spec ...

The Body Shop The Body Shop International Limited, trading as the Body Shop, is a British cosmetics, skin care, and perfume company founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, who opened her first store in Brighton, England. The company is now based in London Bridge ...

Fila Fila (; ) is a South Korean-owned athleisure brand headquartered in Seoul. The company was originally founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Italy. Fila Korea acquired the brand in 2007 and launched its initial p ...

Fitness First Fitness First is an international fitness centre brand founded in 1993 in the United Kingdom. The company owned and operated its clubs around the world until financial pressures saw parts of the company sold off to various owners in different re ...

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

and

John Lewis & Partners John Lewis plc (trading as John Lewis & Partners) is a British department store chain founded by John Lewis in 1864. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, John Lewis Partnership plc, a holding company held in a trust on behalf of its emplo ...

. Lyons played the

eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...

ous ''Chelsey Pucks'' in the online situation comedy ''Chelsey: OMG!''. The interactive Channel X show for teens, launched in October 2008, was shown on the social networking website

Bebo Bebo ( ) was an American social networking website that originally operated from 2005 until its bankruptcy in 2013. The site relaunched several times after its bankruptcy with a number of short-lived offerings, including instant messaging and ...

. The show, created by comedian

Nat Coombs Nathaniel George Terence Coombs (born August 1977) is a British television and radio presenter, podcaster, writer and founder of a London based media agency. Education Coombs was educated at the boys' independent school Dulwich College in Dulw ...

, was broadcast in two three-minute episodes each week. By August 2009, ''Chelsey: OMG!'' had gained close to three million views. Lyons played the female lead in the

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are ...

''Dick and Dom's Funny Business''. The

comedy programme was broadcast on

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 ...

and

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

on the

CBBC Channel CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

. The series' first episode was shown on 8 January 2011. Since 2011, Lyons has been Celebrity Supporter for the UK charity Arthritis Care after having suffered from arthritis in her teens. She is currently in remission but plays an active role in the charity's fundraising and awareness campaigns. Lyons has played many characters across in MTV’s Flash Prank. Lyons appeared as "Tess" in

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

’s sitcom ''

'', created by comedy group

Pappy's Pappy's, originally known as Pappy's Fun Club, is a British three-man comedy act, composed of comedians Ben Clark, Matthew Crosby and Tom Parry. The sketch troupe previously performed shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but now mostly tal ...

. Lyons plays news anchor "Felicity Bond" in the

CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...

comedy show "DNN". Her co-anchor is comedian William Andrews. The series is currently filming Series 2 after being nominated for Best Comedy at the 2013 Children's

British Academy of Film and Television Arts 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 ...

Awards.

References

External links

Kelly-Anne Lyons
at her agent; Dawn Sedgwick Management
Kelly-Anne Lyons
at her modeling agency; MOT Models * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lyons, Kelly-Anne 1985 births Living people People from Bernards Township, New Jersey Ridge High School alumni University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni Marymount Manhattan College alumni American female models Actresses from New Jersey American women comedians 21st-century American actresses American television actresses British television actresses Writers from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Actresses from North Carolina Actors from Winston-Salem, North Carolina 21st-century American comedians Comedians from Somerset County, New Jersey Comedians from North Carolina Actors from Somerset County, New Jersey