Zaraah Abrahams
Born
Zaraah Clover Abrahams

(1987-01-07) 7 January 1987
Lambeth, London, England
Alma materItalia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Occupations
  • Actress
  • voiceover artist
Years active2002–present
TelevisionGirls in Love (2003–2005)
Coronation Street (2005–2007)
Waterloo Road (2008–2010)
Dancing on Ice (2008, 2014)
EastEnders (2020–present)

Zaraah Clover Abrahams (born 7 January 1987) is an English actress and voiceover artist. She is known for her roles as Magda in Girls in Love from 2003 to 2005, Michaela White in the BBC school-based drama series Waterloo Road from 2008 to 2010, Joanne Jackson in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2005 to 2007 and Chelsea Fox in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2020 onwards. She then competed in the third series of the ITV talent show Dancing on Ice, and later returned as a contestant for the All Star series in 2014.

Early life

Abrahams was born in a hospital in Lambeth, London of Iraqi and Barbadian descent on her mother's side and of Jamaican descent on her father's side. She grew up in Brixton, South London and is the eldest of 3 siblings.[1] She attended the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts for her secondary education, landing the role of Magda in the TV Adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson's Girls in Love while still a pupil there.[1] At the age of 17, she left London to pursue a career in acting in Manchester after landing the role of Joanne Jackson in Coronation Street.[1]

Career

Abrahams previously starred as Magda in the CITV show Girls in Love and as Joanne Jackson in the ITV soap Coronation Street.[2] In 2008, she joined the cast of Waterloo Road in a recurring role as student Michaela White.[3] The character became part of the core cast for the fourth series in 2009 and remained with the show until her exit at the end of the fifth series in 2010.[1] She starred in the 2013 short film Black Girl in Paris on HBO which was nominated for short film of the year, and where she was seen by Spike Lee.[1] In 2014, Lee cast her as the female lead, Ganja Hightower in the Ganja & Hess homage Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, her first Hollywood film.[4][1] In 2015 Abrams moved to New York City to film American television drama The Knick.[1]

In 2008, Abrahams participated in ITV's celebrity skating series Dancing on Ice, as a replacement for the injured Michael Underwood. Her partner was skater Fred Palascak. The pair finished in third place.[5] In 2015, she joined the cast of the Cinemax series The Knick, a medical drama directed by Steven Soderbergh, set around a New York hospital in the early 20th century. She portrayed the role of Opal.[6] In October 2020, it was announced that Abrahams would be taking over the role of Chelsea Fox in the BBC soap EastEnders. Her first episode as Chelsea was broadcast on 25 December 2020.[7]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2003–2005 Girls in Love Magda Main cast
2005–2007 Coronation Street Joanne Jackson Regular role; 214 episodes
2008–2010 Waterloo Road Michaela White Recurring (Series 3), Main cast (Series 4–5)
2008, 2014 Dancing on Ice Herself Contestant; 3rd place
2009 Hole in the Wall Herself Contestant
2011 Waterloo Road Reunited Michaela White Main cast (web series)
2012 Payback Season Clarissa Film
2012 Scott & Bailey Daysha Kaye 1 episode
2012 Bedlam Laura Episode: "The Long Drop"
2013 Black Girl in Paris Luce Short film
2013–2015 Secret Dealers Narrator Game show (Series 4–5)
2014 Da Sweet Blood of Jesus Ganja Hightower Film
2014 Holby City Alisa Cole Episode: "Captive"
2015 The Knick Opal Edwards Main cast (Season 2)
2020–present EastEnders Chelsea Fox Regular role
2021 The Bay DS Emma Ryan 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer Nominated [8]
2022 2022 British Soap Awards Best Leading Performer Nominated [9]
2022 27th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance Nominated [10]
2022 Inside Soap Awards Best Actress Nominated [11]
2022 Digital Spy Reader Awards Best Soap Actor (Female) Second [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hudson, Rykesha (16 May 2015). "Zaraah Abrahams: Spike Lee said I could be next Halle Berry". The Voice. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ↑ "EastEnders casts former Coronation Street star Zaraah Abrahams as Chelsea Fox". Radio Times. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "EastEnders announces Chelsea Fox recast – Who is Zaraah Abrahams?". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Zaraah Abrahams Talks Da Sweet Blood of Jesus – Dread Central". dreadcentral.com. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "EastEnders – Who are Lucas Johnson and Chelsea Fox and why are they back?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "'Coronation Street' Star Zaraah Abrahams Becomes The Latest Soap Star To Land A Hollywood Role". HuffPost. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "EastEnders viewers enraged as Chelsea betrays Denise by reuniting with Lucas". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. ↑ Alexander, Susannah (28 September 2021). "Inside Soap Awards announces 2021 longlist as voting opens – here's who's up for prizes". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  9. ↑ Houghton, Rianne (21 April 2022). "British Soap Awards 2022 reveals longlist for viewer categories". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Morris, Lauren (24 May 2022). "NTA 2022 longlist revealed as David Tennant and Sex Education nominated". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  11. ↑ Harp, Justin (18 July 2022). "Inside Soap Awards announces nominations and new category for 2022 event". Digital Spy. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  12. ↑ Rowan, Iona (27 December 2022). "EastEnders wins big at the Digital Spy Reader Awards 2022". Digital Spy.
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