Lisa Riley

Lisa Riley
Born	13 June 1976 Bury, Greater Manchester England
Nationality	British
Occupation	Actress, presenter
Years active	1995–present
Known for	Emmerdale You've Been Framed! Waterloo Road
Television	Emmerdale (1995–2000, 2001) You've Been Framed! (1998–2003) Waterloo Road (2011–13) Strictly Come Dancing (2012)

Lisa Jane Riley^[1] (born 13 June 1976 in Bury)^[2] is an English television presenter and actress best known for playing the role of Mandy Dingle in the television soap opera Emmerdale and succeeding Jeremy Beadle as presenter of You've Been Framed!.

Career

Riley trained at the Oldham Theatre Workshop from the age of nine, and was signed by an agent three years later. After some early roles including appearances as an extra in Coronation Street and as a cast member in Butterfly Kiss which was directed by Michael Winterbottom, her first breakthrough role in UK television was playing Mandy Dingle in Emmerdale over a period of six and a half years.

In 1996, Riley won the National Television Awards for Most popular newcomer for her work in Emmerdale.

Riley was noted for playing the role of Princess Jean in the CITV Awards 1997. Riley went on then to present You've Been Framed from 1998 to 2002, taking over from the former presenter, Jeremy Beadle and raising viewers figures to more than 13 million at its peak in the process. In 1999, Riley appeared opposite a young Jack P. Shepherd in Put Out More Fags and had a cameo role in the music video for "When the Going Gets Tough" by Boyzone. In 2000, she appeared in ITV's Christmas Pantomime Aladdin opposite stars such as Ed Byrne, Patsy Kensit, Julian Clary and Paul Merton and in 2001, she appeared in a commercial for Heineken.

In 2011, Riley played the role of Goody McEldrich in episode 2 of the third series of the UK children's show 'Young Dracula'.

In 2012, she appeared as Nadia Hicks in the second series of crime drama, Scott and Bailey.

Riley also signed up as a contestant on the tenth series of Strictly Come Dancing,^[3] partnering with Robin Windsor. They have been lauded as the stars of the series, with notable moments including Riley lifting Windsor, Riley doing the splits at Wembley Arena, and the couple showing surprisingly brilliant technicality. The couple were eliminated during the semi-finals, on 16 December 2012. She has since appeared on the 2013 Live Tour and the backstage show Strictly Confidential, directed by Craig Revel Horwood, who often praised her on the show.

Riley's other TV credits include roles in Fat Friends, The Bill, Waterloo Road, Holby City, Doctors, the BBC's Afternoon Play series, Having It off. She also played the role of Beth Trailor in the film Secret Society.

On stage, Riley has appeared in fourteen pantomimes (she starred in Aladdin at the Kings Theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth in the 2009–10 pantomime season) and in UK tours of The Play What I Wrote, The Vagina Monologues (opposite Sharon Osbourne), The Naked Truth, Waiting for Gateaux and Calendar Girls.

Other

The 2006 album I Rock Eye Pop by Kings Have Long Arms includes a track entitled "Lisa Riley". The Half Man Half Biscuit song "Breaking News" mentions various annoyances (bus drivers who don't wait for people to sit down before pulling away from the bus stop; taxi drivers who use their horns instead of knocking on the door) and mentions Lisa Riley.

Riley describes herself as a "dedicated vegetarian".^[4]

Lisa Riley has most recently been involved with Yorkshire crisp magnate Don Seabrook. She has been heard describing him as the most passionate lover she has ever had.

References

1. Lisa Jane riley on Twitter
3. "Lisa Riley". biogs.com. Retrieved 2012-10-01.
4. Tansley, Janet (2007-12-20). "Lifestyles - Food & Drink Recipes - My Last Supper: Lisa Riley". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 2012-05-23.