Kellie Shirley is an English actress who works in film, television, theatre and radio. She has also co-presented programmes for BBC2 and Channel 5. She is known for her role as Kirsty De La Croix in Sky Onecomedy seriesIn the Long Run created by Idris Elba. She is also perhaps best known for the role of Carly Wicks in the BBCsoap operaEastEnders from 2006 to 2008 following the death of character's father Kevin Wicks. She returned to the soap in September 2012 for a short dramatic storyline. Other notable credits include The Office and the feature films King of Thieves and Wimbledon.
Career
Kellie has recently been selected by "BAFTA" to be part of their "BAFTA Elevate" programme which supports working class talent and underrepresented groups on screen. "" She started her career via the National Youth Theatre and B.R.I.T school. Her recent credits include: three series of comedy ‘’In The Long Run’’ for Sky One, Call the Midwife, BBC, The BAFTA winning and Emmy nominated series Joe all Alone and mini series The Marriage of Reason and Squalor for "Sky Arts". She landed parts in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and The Office Christmas specials and Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky soon after graduating. Kellie co-hosted the BBC Two show Something for the Weekend with Tim Lovejoy, standing in for Amanda Hamilton who was on maternity leave. Kellie has since appeared regularly on Sunday Brunch and on magazine show The Wright Stuff she is now a regular on Matthew Wright’s show on Talk Radio. She featured in the "Pencil Full of Lead" video by Scottish singer Paolo Nutini. For film she played the role of "Terri Robinson" in King of Thieves for Studio Canal and Working Title film. The central role of "Louise" for Lionsgate in their feature film Riot about the London Riots and Susie Browning in Run for Your Wife alongside Judi Dench and Danny Dyer. In the film Girl on a Bicycle, directed by Jeremy Leven, Kellie plays 'Marta' opposite Paddy Considine. She played Ali in the independent film Everyone's Going to Die The film won a Dinard award. Kellie played the central role of 'Lydia' in the six-part series Self Centered for Pollibee Pictures produced by Kevin Proctor. For theatre she played "Stella Stone" in Royal National TheatreState of the Nation play about the phone hacking scandalGreat Britain directed by Nick Hytner this was after finishing a lengthy run in the West End at The Theatre Royal Haymarket in One Man, Two Guvnors as "Pauline" after its international tour clocking up over 700 performances. Kellie has also worked at the RSC, Royal National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre. Kellie has worked extensively for BBC Radio 4, including three series of comedy House on Fire written by Chris Sussmann and long running series A Small Town Murder. In 2018, Kellie joined 26 other celebrities and performed an original Christmas song called Rock With Rudolph - where she had a solo. The song was recorded in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital and was released digitally on independent record label Saga Entertainment on 30 November 2018. 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. Kellie has been nominated three times for celebrity supporter of the year. She won it in 2019 for raising awareness for new Mother’s to consider donating cord blood She is ambassador for the charities Anthony Nolan and Mencap. She is also youth group patron for the charity "Magpie Dance."
Personal life
In January 2019 it was announced that she would be running the London Marathon with some of her former EastEnders co-stars for a Dementia campaign in honour of Barbara Windsor.
