Kara Tointon
English actress (b. 1983)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, known for playing Dawn Swann in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. In 2010, she won the BBC competition series Strictly Come Dancing, and in 2015, she appeared as Maria in the ITV live production of The Sound of Music Live. She also played Erica Stoke in 'Lewis' S8 E1.
Kara Tointon | |
|---|---|
Tointon filming on the set of EastEnders in 2008 | |
| Born | 5 August 1983 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Television | |
| Children | 2[1] |
| Relatives | Hannah Tointon (sister) |
Early life
Tointon was born to parents Ken (b. 1948) and Carol Tointon (1957–2019).[2] Together with her actress sister, Hannah (born 1987), Tointon was brought up in Leigh-on-Sea. Both sisters attended St Michael's School, Leigh, and St Hilda's School, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.[2] Tointon was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven. She had speech and drama lessons.[2] Tointon's debut in acting was when she played Brigitta in the local amateur dramatic society's version of The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea.[2]
Career
Tointon was a paid professional child dancer at age 11 for Snow White pantomime at the Cliffs Pavilion.[2] Her first appearance on television was as a school friend of Sonia Fowler in EastEnders in 1994.[2] She played the part of student Pauline Young in 2001's first series of Teachers on Channel 4.[2] She also starred in BBC's Curriculum Bites as a presenter in 2002.[3]
In 2005, Tointon joined the cast of the BBC soap EastEnders as Dawn Swann,[3] a role she played for 4 years until being written out, along with co-star Ricky Groves, in August 2009.[4]
In January 2010 she made a guest appearance in the 26th and final series of ITV's long-running police drama The Bill in "Duty Calls" as Ami Ryan.
In July 2010, she recorded a documentary for BBC Three called Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid.[5] The programme examined the impact dyslexia can have on people's lives and the difference different learning styles can have on dyslexic people.[5] Tointon revealed that she struggles as a dyslexic person, and had a reading age of 12.[5] During the programme, Tointon visited Shapwick School in Somerset, which specialises in the education of dyslexic pupils, and talked with the pupils about their experiences.[6]
Strictly Come Dancing
Sport Relief Edition
In 2008, Tointon won the Sport Relief special edition of Strictly Come Dancing with Mark Ramprakash. Her samba was enough to get her the Glitterball Trophy.[7]
Series 8
In September 2010, Tointon was a contestant on series 8, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev.[8] The pair became champions on 18 December 2010.[7]
| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Cha-cha-cha / "I Like It" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 30 | No elimination |
| 2 | Foxtrot / "From Russia with Love" | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 31 | Safe |
| 3 | Quickstep / "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 31 | Safe |
| 4 | Charleston / "Put a Lid on It" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 32 | Safe |
| 5 | Paso doble / "The Phantom of the Opera" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | Safe |
| 6 | Salsa / "Conga" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 37 | Safe |
| 7 | Argentine tango / "Los Vino" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 8 | American Smooth / "Cry Me a River" | 9 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 35 | Safe |
| 9 | Jive / "Runaround Sue" | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 33 | Safe |
| 10 | Tango / "El Tango de Roxanne" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| 11 | Viennese waltz / "Stop!" Rumba / "Samba Pa Ti" |
9 9 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
39 39 |
Safe |
| 12 | Rumba / "Samba Pa Ti" Freestyle / "Don't Stop Me Now" Waltz / "If You Don't Know Me by Now" American Smooth / "Cry Me a River" |
9 9 9 10 |
10 9 9 8 |
10 9 10 10 |
10 9 10 10 |
39 36 38 38 |
WINNER |
West End theatre
From May to September 2011, Tointon played Eliza Doolittle in the West End production of Pygmalion at the Garrick Theatre, opposite Rupert Everett as Professor Higgins.[9] In spring 2012, Tointon played the role of Evelyn in Alan Ayckbourn's revival of the 1974 play Absent Friends, alongside Reece Shearsmith at the Harold Pinter Theatre, directed by Jeremy Herrin, which received critical acclaim.[10][11] Following this she played Giny in Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking, with Felicity Kendal, Jonathan Coy, and Max Bennett at the Wyndham's Theatre in 2013.[12]
Other work
In August 2009, she was unveiled as the new face of Michelle for George underwear at Asda.[13]
In February 2011, Tointon took part in the BT Red Nose Desert Trek for Comic Relief 2011.[14] Tointon also guest starred in an episode of Sky's “Bedlam” playing Leah (Kerry) Cole. In September, it was announced that Kara would play a lead role in the new film Last Passenger, opposite Dougray Scott and directed by Omid Nooshin.[15]
In 2015 and 2016, Tointon played Rosalie Selfridge in the television drama series Mr Selfridge, the semi-fictional story based on the life of Harry Selfridge. Tointon played the part of Maria in The Sound of Music Live in the UK, broadcast on 20 December.[16]
In January 2017, Tointon appeared in the ITV period drama The Halcyon, which was set in 1940 at a five-star hotel "at the centre of London Society and a world at war".[17] From November, Tointon played the role of Olivia in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Twelfth Night.[18]
In 2018, Tointon joined 26 other celebrities at Metropolis Studios, to perform an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph, written and produced by Grahame and Jack Corbyn. The song was released in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018 under the artist name The Celebs. The music video debuted exclusively with The Sun on 29 November 2018 and had its first TV showing on Good Morning Britain on 30 November 2018. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart.[19][20][21] In 2024 Tointon played Rachel in Captivated
On 22nd July 2025 it was announced that Kara will play Willamae Abernathy in Sunrise on the Reaping, the next movie adaptation in the Hunger Games trilogy, scheduled for release 20th November 2026.[22]
Personal life
Family
In November 2018, Tointon gave birth to her first child, a boy, with her then-fiancé Marius Jensen.[23] She had a second son with Marius Jensen in 2021.[24]
Relationships
In 2004, Tointon dated Busted band member James Bourne. Their relationship was depicted in the TV series America or Busted but ended in January 2005, shortly after the band split up.[25]
Tointon was in a relationship with EastEnders co-star James Alexandrou which began in April 2006. The relationship reportedly ended in November 2007.[26]
Tointon was in a relationship with her EastEnders co-star Joe Swash from 2008 to 2010.[27]
Health
In May 2025, Tointon announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy and a bilateral salpingectomy,[1] after testing positive to being a carrier of the BRCA mutation BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.[28] In a post on social media site Instagram, she stated, "There is a history of both cancers in my family on my mother's side, but for various reasons, including generational trauma of which I'll talk more about another time, we hadn't looked into it until that point. But it was put to us, we took the test, and it was confirmed that my mum and I both carried the gene." Tointon's mother died from ovarian cancer in 2018.[29][30]
Charity
In September 2014, Tointon took part in the Great North Run to raise money for Share A Star, a charity set up to help severely unwell children and teenagers.[31]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Never Play with the Dead | Victoria | |
| 2004 | The Football Factory | Tameka | |
| The Fete | Lizzie | Short film | |
| 2006 | Just My Luck | Concert Goer | Uncredited role |
| 2012 | The Sweeney | Megan Barret | |
| 2013 | Last Passenger | Sarah Barwell | |
| 2016 | Let's Be Evil | Tiggs | |
| 2017 | Gaslight | Bella Manningham | |
| 2018 | RSC Live: Twelfth Night | Olivia | |
| 2022 | The Gallery | Jamie | |
| 2026 | The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping | Willamae Abernathy | Post-Production |
| TBA | Kill Roo | TBA | Pre-production |
| Spike | Jennifer |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Jonathan Creek | Young girl | Series 2; Episode 3 "The Scented Room" |
| 1999–2000, 2004–2005 | Dream Team | Gina Moliano | Series 3; Episodes 27 & 28, and Series 8; 21 episodes |
| 2001 | Teachers | Pauline Young | Series 1; Episodes 1–8 |
| 2002 | Dinotopia | 18-year-old Le Sage | Episode 3: "Handful of Dust" |
| 2002–2003 | Harry and Cosh | Gaby | Series 4; Episodes 1–14 |
| 2003 | Boudica | Poppaea | Television film |
| 2004 | Keen Eddie | Sarah Friedman | Episode 11: "Who Wants to Be in a Club That Would Have Me as a Member?" |
| Mile High | Geneva | Series 2; Episode 18 | |
| America or Busted | Herself (voice) | Episode 6: "U.S. Album Release" | |
| 2005–2009 | EastEnders | Dawn Swann | 345 episodes |
| 2010 | The Bill | Ami Ryan | Series 26; Episode 3: "Duty Calls" |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Herself - Contestant | Series 8; Episodes 1–27 (Winner) | |
| Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid | Herself | Television documentary | |
| 2011 | Bedlam | Leah Cole | Series 1; Episode 2: "Driven" |
| Ideal | Herself | Series 7; Episode 1: "The Police" | |
| 2014 | Lewis | Erica Stoke | Series 8; Episodes 1 & 2: "Entry Wounds: Parts 1 & 2" |
| Celebrity Chase | Herself - Contestant | Series 4; Episode 7 | |
| 2015 | SunTrap | Maria | Episode 2: "In the Line of Fire" |
| The Sound of Music Live | Maria Rainer | Television Special (UK version of The Sound of Music Live!) | |
| 2015–2016 | Mr Selfridge | Rosalie Selfridge/De Bolotoff | Series 3 & 4; 20 episodes |
| 2017 | The Halcyon | Betsey Day | Episodes 1–8 |
| Henry IX | Serena | Episodes 1–3: "Reigned In", "Exit Strategy" and "Clearing the Air" | |
| 2018 | Great Performances | Maria | Series 46; Episode 4: "The Sound of Music" |
| The Keith & Paddy Picture Show | Kate Beringer | Series 2; Episode 6: "Christmas Special: Gremlins" | |
| 2019 | The Crystal Maze | Herself - Adventurer | Series 9; Episode 5: "Celebrities" |
| 2020 | Urban Myths | Kitty Clive | Series 4; Episode 3: "Hendrix & Handel" |
| 2023 | Father Brown | Elizabeth Barnes | Series 10; Episode 6: "The Royal Visit" |
| Archie | Young Elsie Leach | Mini-series; Episodes 1–4 | |
| 2024 | Too Good to Be True
known outside the UK as Captivated |
Rachel Connor | Lead role. Mini-series; Episodes 1–4 |
| The Teacher | Dani Oxley | Lead role. Mini-series; Episodes 1–4 |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Rock with Rudolph[32] | Herself | Band: The Celebs |
Selected stage credits
- Pygmalion, Garrick Theatre, London, 2011
- Absent Friends, Harold Pinter Theatre, London, 2012
- Relatively Speaking, Wyndhams Theatre, London, 2013
- Gaslight, Touring Production – various cities in England, 2017
- Twelfth Night, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 2017–18
- The Man in the White Suit, Theatre Royal Bath and Wyndham's Theatre, London, 2019
- The Constant Wife, Touring Production – various cities in England, 2026
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [33] |
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Won | [33] | |
| 2007 | The British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [34] |
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | [35] | |
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [35] | |
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Dressed Soap Star | Won | [36] | |
| 13th National Television Awards | Most Popular Actress | Nominated | [37] | |
| 2008 | Digital Spy Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [38] |
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Won | [39] | |
| 2009 | The British Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [40] |
| Inside Soap Awards | Sexiest Female | Nominated | [41] | |
| Inside Soap Awards | Best Dressed Soap Star | Won | [42] |
