Who is Melvin Odoom’s sister Yonah and who did she play in Coronation Street and Hollyoaks?
MELVIN Odoom has a sibling named Yonah — a versatile actress who has made her mark both on stage and TV.
Here we get to know the I'm A Celebrity 2024 contestant's talented sister.
Who is Yonah Odoom?
Yonah Odoom is an actress of Ghanaian descent, who was born and raised north London.
After graduating from the University of Luton in 2004 with a BA Hons' Degree in media performance, Yonah initially pursued a career in marketing.
However, a chance audition for the play Blood Wedding reignited her passion for acting.
This led Yonah to commit fully to her childhood dream of becoming a full-time actress.
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To hone her craft, she immersed herself in various acting programs, completing courses at the Identity Drama School and Central School of Speech and Drama, as well as joining the Actors Centre London.
Coronation Street
Yonah's breakthrough arrived when she landed a role on the hit show Coronation Street.
She made her debut appearance on the soap in November 2013.
Yonah played Mrs Piper, the mum of the villainous Grace Piper who began to display borderline psychopathic tendencies.
Mrs Piper refused to believe that her daughter could be capable of bad behaviour, despite the fact that Grace routinely bullied several characters on the show.
Yonah's appearance on the show was proudly celebrated by her brother on social media.
On November 27, 2013, Melvin tweeted: "Very proud of my sister @YonahOdoom who made her debut appearance on #Coronationstreet tonight!! #gracesmum".
Other acting credits
Beyond her appearance in Coronation Street, Yonah has showcased her acting talents in several other huge TV productions.
She has appeared in the beloved soap opera Hollyoaks and the hilarious Channel 4 comedy The Windsors.
In Hollyoaks she played a vicar, while in The Windsors she is credited as Mary Royal Guest.
Portraying Rosa Parks
Yonah has performed on stage, where she portrayed the heroic civil rights activist Rosa Parks.
She took on the role in the 2010 theatre production of We Stand on Giants' Shoulders.
She also stars in the series which is named YOMO: You Only Marry Once.
The show is a comedy about two young women named Yo and Mo who are trying to navigate love and life in London.
Yonah opened up to Face2FaceAfrica about her inspiration for the series.
She said: “My co-creator Moshana Khan and I met nine years ago, when we joined a theatre group and we have pretty much been joined at the hip ever since.
"Over the years, we have shared many of our acting, dating and cultural experiences, which have often mirrored each other."
They found that they were both struggling to keep up with the fast-paced dating scene in London.
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At the same time, they were being pressured by their parents to find a partner and get married.
Eventually, the pair decided to make "some lemonade with those lemons" and based the show on their "dating diaries".