Actress.  Born Gillian Adele Battersby, on January 12, 1979 , in Wigan , Lancashire , England . The second daughter (she has one sister) of working-class parents, Gillian has had her eye on an acting career from an early age.  From the age of 5, Gillian preferred being centre stage, and enjoyed lead roles throughout her school days.

In 1997 After completing 4 A Levels at college (including Theatre Studies), Gillian did a Degree in Performing Arts (Theatre) at De Montfort University.  During her time there she spent four months

at Towson University in Baltimore , USA , where she enjoyed taking classes in acting, on-camera acting and musical theatre, by professionals like Steve Yeager (former winner of the Sundance film festival).  Her enjoyment of acting developed from stage to screen, and she found she had a flair for both.

On leaving University in 2000, Gillian found it hard to develop her career as an actress, and decided to take a full-time job that involved working as an IT assessor at Huddersfield Town F.C.  Through this role she became a qualified teacher and assessor for people aged 16 and above.

In 2001, searching for more excitement, Gillian auditioned for Thomson Holidays and succeeded in getting a job as a Superfamily Entertainer, working abroad in Corfu and Lanzarote for eight months.  Compering shows, rehearsing dance routines, acting, singing and dancing were just some of the things she enjoyed through this role.