Nicola Stapleton

Nicola Kathleen Stapleton (born 9 August 1974) is an English actress.

Biography
Stapleton was raised near East Street, which runs east to west between the Old Kent Road and Walworth Road in Walworth, south London. She and her younger brother Vince were born to working class parents, Kate, a cleaner from Scotland and Vincent Stapleton, who ran a car hire business.

She attended the Townsend Primary School in South East London, where her parents were advised by a teacher "to channel her energy into something positive." As a result, they sent her to the Corona Theatre School and Sylvia Young Theatre School, where Denise Van Outen and her future EastEnders co-star, Danniella Westbrook, were among her contemporaries.

Stapleton's career in showbusiness started at the early age of six and at the age of 9 she had a minor role as an extra in the Bond film Octopussy. She made her TV debut in the detective series, Dempsey & Makepeace, in 1985 and she went on to have roles in feature films such as Little Shop of Horrors, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and Courage Mountain.

At age 12 she played the part of Sally in the 1987 Children's BBC production, Simon & the Witch. She also had a minor role in the successful BBC sitcom, Bread.

Stapleton is perhaps best known for her role as the wayward Mandy Salter in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, which she played from 1992–94. During her time in the soap, Stapleton's character was featured in storylines about child and drug abuse, homelessness and prostitution.

Her EastEnders character was also featured in a special episode of the popular science fiction series, Doctor Who, which was entitled Dimensions in Time. The episode was specially screened as part of BBC's annual fund-raising event, Children in Need. Viewers were asked to phone in and vote which EastEnders character, Mandy or 'Big' Ron, would appear in the show. Two versions were filmed for each voting outcome, but the Mandy version won with 56% of the vote. Stapleton grew tired of all the attention she received from being in such a high-profile show, so she resigned from the role in 1994.

In June 2011, Stapleton announced that she would be returning to EastEnders after a 17-year hiatus, and she reappeared as Mandy in an episode broadcast in August that year. Stapleton left the role for a second time at the end of her contract, with Mandy departing in May 2012.

Stapleton's other notable television roles include that of Janine Nebeski in ITV's Bad Girls and Joe Nardone in Channel 4's Young Person's Guide to Becoming a Rock Star.

Animated Series

 * Thomas & Friends (1984-present) - Rosie (Seasons 21-on) (UK/US Dub)

Animated Films

 * Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor (2017) - Rosie (UK/US Dub)