How old is Kara Tointon, when did she give birth and when was she on Strictly?
KARA Tointon is an actress best known for playing Dawn Swann in EastEnders and winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2010.
Here's everything you need to know about the former soap star...
Who is Kara Tointon? What's her background?
Kara Louise Tointon, 35, is from Leigh-on-sea in Essex.
She was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven.
Kara had speech and drama lessons at school, but didn't go to drama school.
When she was a teenager, she dated James Bourne of the bands Busted, Son of Dork and McBusted for a year.
Kara’s first professional acting experience came when she played the part of Brigitta in The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.
She also played student Pauline Young in 2001's first series of Teachers on Channel 4, alongside Andrew Lincoln and James Corden.
Who is Kara Tointon's fiancé Marius Jensen?
Kara Tointon's boyfriend is a doctor called Marius Jensen - they have been together since April 2017.
According to The Daily Mail, she previously revealed that her man is a chiropractor.
She explained: “He’s not an actor, he’s a chiropractor. That’s sort of how we met...”
In March 2018 it was reported that the pair were engaged and she has been seen wearing a ruby and diamond ring on her finger.
When did Kara have her baby?
On October 29, 2018, Kara revealed she’s due to give birth in just three weeks after giving her first interview with her fiancé Marius Jensen.
It was exclusively revealed by The Sun .
A family member confirmed the news saying she and her partner Marius were “very happy”.
Who is Kara Tointon's sister Hannah?
Kara Tointon's sister Hannah is also an actress.
She is best known for playing Katy Fox in Hollyoaks and Tara Brown in The Inbetweeners.
In 2017 she got engaged to her Inbetweeners co-star Joe Thomas who played Simon Cooper.
The pair also both starred in the 2018 summer film The Festival.
When was Kara Tointon in Eastenders?
Her first appearance on television was as an extra in EastEnders in 1994, when she played a school friend of Sonia Fowler.
Then in 2005 she landed the role of feisty Dawn Swann.
She starred in the show for four years alongside on-screen brother Micky played by Joe Swash.
After quitting the show in 2009 Kara initially struggled to find other acting work.
She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “There was a point after EastEnders that I strongly considered giving up on acting and resorting to my plan B, training to be an interior designer."
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What else has Kara Tointon starred in?
In 2017 Kara Tointon starred in ITV period drama The Halcyon.
In 2010 she did a documentary about Dyslexia for BBC Three called Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid.
She has also appeared on the West End - in 2011 she played Eliza Dolittle in Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre.
In 2010 she was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing with partner Artem Chigvintsev.