Helen George Biography

Helen George (born 19 June 1984) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Trixie Franklin on the BBC TV drama series, Call the Midwife. In 2015 she participated in the thirteenth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, she was paired with Alja Skorjanec, and finished in sixth place.

Early life

According to an interview in the Metro newspaper, as a child, George wanted to become a long jumper, although she also had a phase in which she wished to become the first female manager of the Aston Villa football club. George decided that she wanted to work in musical theatre at the age of 15, when she was in a production of Les Misrables at her secondary school, Edgbaston High School for Girls. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London and the Birmingham School of Acting.

Career

George attended the Royal Academy of Music, London, studying musical theatre. She gained her first role some two weeks after graduation in the play The Woman in White. She was a backing singer for Elton John during a tour, in which her sister Victoria Ingle also sang. She sang at venues including both Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall.

George was cast in the role of Trixie on the BBC One series Call the Midwife, based on the book by Jennifer Worth. She was daunted by the prospect of working with the likes of Pam Ferris and Jenny Agutter. As part of the role she was trained in the medical techniques of the 1950s, including how to deliver a baby. During the first series, she practised this at home with her husband taking the role of a pregnant woman, and her Yorkshire Terrier being the 'baby'. In 2012, she underwent a press tour in the United States in order to promote the series there. She also starred in the music video for singer Birdy's cover of "1901".

In August 2015, George was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Alja Skorjanec. Despite continuously getting high remarks from the judges, George was eliminated in week 11, finishing in sixth place.

Personal life

George married Oliver Boot in December 2012. They met when they were both in Hotel Babylon, but started their relationship several years later. They own two dogs, Lottie and Charlie, a Jack Russell Terrier, which she found as a stray when it was six months old, and a Yorkshire Terrier.

In August 2015, representatives of George confirmed that she and Boot had split up after three years of marriage. Since 2016 George has been dating fellow Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton (Rev. Thomas)

Filmography

• Hotel Babylon (2008) as Susie, episode #3.2
• 7 Lives (2011) as Valerie
• Doctors (2011) as Andrea Towers, episode "A Life in the Day"
• The Three Musketeers (2011) as Blonde
• Scar Tissue (2012) as Mel Farrow
• Call the Midwife (2012-present) as Trixie Franklin, main cast role
• Strictly Come Dancing (2015) as herself; a contestant
• The Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty: The Dragon And The Raven (2015) as Freya