Gemma was born on May 14th, 1975, in Rochdale, and began her professional career at the tender age of 10, taking on leading roles in various children's television dramas. She played the series regular character Holly Painter in Wilderness Edge, How We Used To Live, The 8:15 From Manchester, and Dramarama.
At 16, Gemma was cast in the Manchester production of Les Misérables, and just a year later, Cameron Mackintosh offered her the lead role of Eponine in the West End production of Les Misérables.
Throughout her illustrious theatre career, Gemma has created iconic roles, including Serena Katz in the original London cast of Fame, Mrs. Lester in the original London cast of Betty Blue Eyes, Miss Red in the original London cast of Shout!, and Cinderella's Mother in the Olivier award-winning production of Into The Woods at Regent Park Open Air Theatre.
In television and film, Gemma has played series regular Chris Jacobs in Channel Five's Soap, Family Affairs, worked alongside Victoria Wood and Julie Walters in the television film Pat And Margaret, and featured in the epic Les Misérables movie. More recently, she took on the role of Mrs. Brown in the CBBC drama Harriet's Army.
Gemma's extensive television credits include appearances in Doctors (BBC),Life On Mars (BBC),Holby City (BBC),and Supplies (ITV Granada). As a skilled voice-over artist, she has made several recordings for BBC 4, including Relative Strangers, There's a Valley in Spain, and The Stone Book.
