Who is Lorraine Stanley? Award winning EastEnders star who plays Karen Taylor wants to leave London because of knife crime
LORRAINE Stanley joined EastEnders as the soap was getting revved up for the dramatic summer of 2017.
Some particularly eagle-eyed viewers recognised her from previous episodes and now she's gone on to win the fans over and her performances won her Best Newcomer at the British Soap Awards 2018.. here's everything we know about her.
Who is Lorraine Stanley? What’s her background?
Lorraine is an award-winning actress from Portsmouth and trained at London's Arts Educational School.
The 41-year-old often plays kind but tough women from a working class background.
The actress and her partner Mark Perez have a daughter together, born in 2015
She also has a younger sister called Donna.
Who does Lorraine play in EastEnders?
Lorraine plays single mum Karen Taylor, who rocked up to E20 with her children Keanu (Danny Walters), Keegan Baker (Zack Morris), Bernadette (Clair Norris), Riley and Chatham – played by real life brothers Tom and Alfie Jacobs.
Bronson the dog and a bearded dragon named Rooney complete the clan.
Lorraine said: “I’m chuffed to be cast in such an iconic show that I’ve grown up watching. Working with my new family is really quite special, and I’m proud to play their mum.”
Her character is described by the BBC as “a fierce woman” who is “kind-hearted and loyal” and “won’t hear a bad word said against her brood".
EastEnders executive producer Sean O’Connor has been bigging up the arrival of the new family - and promises they will bring plenty of drama.
Who else has Lorraine Stanley played in EastEnders?
Lorraine has appeared in EastEnders before as Thelma Bragg in 2016 and as young Mo Harris in the BBC soap’s spin-off Pat and Mo.
Last year, Lorraine’s character Thelma was on-screen friends with Kellie Bright’s character Linda Carter.
She appeared in eight episodes which saw Thelma’s daughter Linzi become part of Jay’s underage sex storyline after she slept with him when she was just 14 years old.
Thelma’s big scene involved her storming into the pub, exposing Jay and branding him a “nonce”.
Before that, she played young Mo Harris in a 2004 spin-off, which explored the history of Mo and Pat Butcher.
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What else has Lorraine Stanley been in?
Lorraine has previously been in a number of big films, including London to Brighton (2006), Made in Dagenham (2010) and Eden Lake (2008).
In 2007, she was nominated for an ALFS Best Actress award for her portrayal of Kelly in London to Brighton.
She also won a Women Film Critics Circle Award with the cast of Suffragette for Best Ensemble.
Who is Lorraine married to? Does she have children?
Lorraine isn't married but has been in a relationship with Mark Perez since January 2014.
The couple have one daughter together.
She returned back to work two months after giving birth to film her guest appearance on EastEnders.
How has the knife crime storyline affected Lorraine?
Lorraine has revealed she is planning to leave London so her young daughter doesn't grow up in a city plagued by gang violence.
Her character, Karen Taylor, has been involved in the knife crime storyline which sees her son, Keegan, survive a stabbing that claims the life of his best friend Shakil Kazemi.
Concerned mum Lorraine exclusively told The Sun Online's Soap Bubble that she will "definitely" leave London before her young daughter is a teenager.
She said: "I do live in London and you know what, I've got a young daughter and already I am starting to worry about things.
"She's only two and a half and I'm already worrying about what things will be like when she's a teenager. I definitely won't be in London."
Lorraine's comments come at a time when knife crime is at an all-time high with London overtaking New York as the most dangerous city.
And she says the knife crime storyline is necessary now more than ever.
The actress was full of praise for how the show tackled the important and sensitive subject, saying: "I read it off the storyline and I was like wow.
"I was impressed that EastEnders are doing such an important storyline. It's so relevant at the moment, it's everywhere. Everyday it's on the news what's happening. It's every mother's worst nightmare.
She added: "I think what EastEnders is great at doing is it's a big platform for a lot of people and a lot of youngsters watch, so if it changes one person, if one person thinks, 'I'm not going to take that knife', it's got to be a good thing.
"What EastEnders does well is the aftermath... in the papers if you read a story about some kid who's been stabbed then you cry and you think it's awful but you don't read much more.
"In EastEnders you will see the aftermath, how it affects families and the community and I think that's where it's important. That's why we're doing it."