Suzanne Shaw
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Shaw is an English actress, singer and television personality. Originally famous for winning the talent contest Popstars
and subsequently being a member of the band Hear'Say
, she is now an established musical theatre
and West End performer, actress, model and television presenter in her own right. She is also the winner of series 3 of the popular ITV1
program Dancing on Ice
. She is married to presenter Jason King
of duo JK and Joel
. Since April 2010, Shaw has played the character of Eve Jenson
in the soap opera Emmerdale
.
lessons at the age of two and by the age of three was attending the Lupino and Freelance Dance school, where she trained in all forms of dance. Shaw also studied acting, and performed in her first show Annie
at five years of age. She joined an amateur dramatics society and did various productions, including The Sound of Music, and a West End production of Showboat at the age of nine. She was a member of an ABBA
tribute band, The Right Stuff, and appeared in television roles including an Esso
advertisement, Holby City
, and a BBC production, Elidor
. She also tried for the part of Maria Sutherland
in Coronation Street
, and made it to the final three along with Girls Aloud
member Kimberley Walsh
, but lost out to Samia Smith
.
Shaw also developed her musical abilities, learning the recorder and violin, at St. Mary's primary school and later the saxophone at St. Gabriel's R.C. High School
. After leaving school, she attended Oldham College for a BTec National Diploma in Performing Arts with extra units in acting essentials and devising and developing performance.
, along with Kym Marsh
, Myleene Klass
, Noel Sullivan
and Danny Foster, having beaten 4,000 other hopefuls.
Their debut single was the fastest selling non-charitable record ever in the UK, selling 1.3 million copies. Their first album Popstars, went on to sell 1.2 million copies in the UK, followed by their own television show entitled Hear'say It's Saturday, performing with established artists such as Lionel Richie
, Joe Pasquale
, Bradley Walsh, Blue
and Atomic Kitten
. Hear'say broke many World records during their career and still hold the title of being the only musical artists to have the no.1 spot in the charts for both their debut album and debut single at the same time.
Subsequently, the band achieved a sell-out arena tour and performed numerous television guest appearances.They released their second album Everybody for the Christmas market in 2001.
Shaw made many appearances with the band on TV and in live performance venues, including "Hear'Say: A New Chapter in Full", "The Hear'Say Story", "Hear'Say It's Saturday!" and the "Royal Variety Performance" for television.
Hear'say had two number one singles, a number three single and a number six single in the British charts as well as many awards and accolades, before splitting in 2002.
Shaw co-wrote some of Hear'says songs and has stated that she continues to write although she does so under various aliases.
She landed a role in the remake of the Summer Holiday musical in London's West End
, and later in a UK tour of the show starring alongside Darren Day and Christopher Biggins. Despite initial scepticism about the part going to a popstar Shaw received huge praise for the role such as from the British Theatre Guide which stated "And those who, like me, only know Suzanne Shaw (Bobby) as part of the manufactured pop group Hear'Say, had their eyes opened. She was a dancer, singer and actress long before Popstars, and it shows". and Nowt2do.com stating "Suzanne Shaw no doubt had the most to prove as Barbara, having come from Hear'Say but she has wowed this critic over. She light up the stage with her stunning smile and had the most powerful voice. It's hard to think that she was in Hear'Say when she was strutting her stuff with such professionalism that you would think she has been in West End Musicals for years. A real killer and big voice mixed with some superb dancing skills showed that Suzanne was the pure and simple choice for the role...sorry couldn't resist!".
In February 2005, Shaw took on the role of narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, also in the West End. The leading role in Snow White
followed, and then as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show
national tour, appearing twice on Londons West End. Shaw once again reviewed rave reviews for her role from fans of the show, critics as well as creator Richard O' Brien. The Stage commented that Shaw was "a delectably wide-eyed Janet", with Critic Chris High stating "Shaw is delightful as the naive Janet and proves she has far more to offer than anything a reality TV show could ever uncover" and the British Theatre guide stating "A big surprise to me was how outstanding former Hear'Say popstar Suzanne Shaw was: she is so at home on stage with strong voice and fabulous presence". Shaw has also appeared in the musicals Chicago and White Christmas; for further details see notable roles and appearances.
The Bill
, broadcast on ITV1
in June 2007, playing the character of Laura Matthews.
Shaw has been a panelist for Loose Women
on ITV1
as well as appearing in the reality television programmes Have I Been Here Before?
and Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
and of course the popular ITV show Dancing on Ice
.
Magazine which has a circulation of over 370,000 each week.
Shaw is also an ambassador of Mattel and the deal with Shaw is the first time that Mattel and Barbie DVD distributor Entertainment Rights have undertaken together.Shaw lent her powerful vocals to the theme tune "Connected" from 2008's "Barbie(TM) and the Diamond Castle" children's movie.
Shaw has brought out a successful perfume "Ice" and interactive family DVD "Suzanne Shaw's Showtime Showdown".
She is current face of Tesco Mobile as well as Disney for which she has launched the interactive games "Disney's Sing It" and "Disney's A Christmas Carol".
which was a hit in dance charts both in the UK and the US. She also co-wrote several tracks for Hear'say
one of which was also recorded by and featured on the second album of American pop group Jump 5.
on Virgin 1
and Challenge every Friday night which Virgin 1
announced was its highest rated Gameshow." Shaw has also presented many special events such as "Miss Scotland" and the "Jeans for Genes Fashion Show" at Harrods. On 20 September 2008 she appeared on the second UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 on children's channel Nickelodeon
as a guest presenter.
, performing technical footwork and solo skating skills as well as many lifts and tricks with her partner Matt Evers
, the "Headbanger" being her most best-known of the series (recreated with the twister in her final performance). Bonnie Langford
was the first celebrity to perform the 'Headbanger' move in series 1, albeit from a lying position. Shaw is the only celebrity ever to do the Headbanger from a standing takeoff position, which is more difficult and more dangerous. Shaw also remains the only female celebrity to do the twister in the headbanger, the splits lift, the ballet lift, the walk over, a 3 jump, the famous Torvill and Dean overhead flip and cartwheel and a full death spiral amongst other moves.
On 1 March 2008, it was confirmed that she had chipped a bone in her ankle during training and there were doubts as to whether she would be able to continue in the competition. Having previously received a gash to the head and a broken rib, this did not deter her, and she vowed to carry on for her dance partner and the people who had voted for her. On 2 March, she skated with her ankle strapped and finished second from bottom on the leader board with a total of 24; however, the public saved her from the skate-off.
On 9 March, she skated in the semi-final of Dancing on Ice and again achieved the highest score of the series so far with 27.5 (it also being the score of her "Music" routine) to the song "Eternal Flame
". Christopher Dean
stated that he was hugely impressed with her skating and performance, saying she could do both fast and slower numbers equally well and was exceptionally versatile. He also revealed that Shaw was very good at improvising as she forgot some of the steps at the start of the routine.
On 16 March, Suzanne Shaw was named the Series 3 Dancing on Ice champion, after Phillip Schofield
announced she had won the public vote. She skated three times during the series finale, scoring a flawless five sixes with the judges in two of her routines. No contestant on Dancing on Ice had ever received five sixes before. She then went on to win the show by getting the majority of the public votes.
She also took part in related competitions, including the Tour and Christmas Special with Team Torvill. In the Christmas special Shaw again received the maximum score of 30 for her performance of the Santa Baby effectively winning the show for team Torvill. She still holds the record for being the only celebrity to have 3 perfect scores in a row.
Shaw wowed crowds in her second dancing on ice tour in April despite having to adjust to a new partner. Christopher Dean praised Shaw stating that she had "done wonders" despite less than 3 weeks training with her new partner prior to the tour. Shaw also received high praise from the judges as well as Torvill and Dean for being "an absolute professional" regarding the change of partners.
in July of that year, it was postponed until April 2008. The series featured Shaw, Sex Pistols
manager Malcolm McLaren
and Mike Reid competing for a vacant Baronial title in a small Scottish town called Gardenstown
, near Banff
in Aberdeenshire
.
During the filming, McLaren was thrown out of the village for unruly behaviour, leaving Reid and Shaw to contest the final election, which was won by Reid. Before his death, Reid had expressed a wish to have a new community centre built in the village; a number of donations have since been secured from his family and others, and this is likely to go ahead in the near future.
The show premièred on 24 April 2008 on ITV
and attracted good viewing figures for the 3 episodes for its 10:35 pm timeslot.
, Shaw joined the West End cast of Chicago
. Shaw was originally only due to play the role of Roxie Hart for 6 weeks but due to good reviews and several standing standing ovations (Daily Mail) her contract was extended until August 2008.
Shaw received a nomination for best takeover in the prestigious whatsonstage theatregoers choice awards for her performance of the role. It is rumored that Shaw was offered the role again on the West End and in a national tour in 2009 but decided to reprise her role in the Dancing on Ice Tour as she is 2008 Champion.
throughout the summer of 2009 alongside actresses such as Jessie Wallace, Wendi Peters and Sue Holderness. This is the second time Shaw has appeared in the production; her previous appearance was in Brighton in 2007.
, in the British ITV1
soap Emmerdale
.
The character first appeared on the show in 2001 originally played by Raine Davison
, where she remained a series regular until her departure in 2002. Eve returned to the show briefly in October 2006 when she got married to James Jenson.
In January 2010 it was announced that Eve would be returning to the show after nearly a 4 year absence with the part being recast. Series producer Gavin Blyth stated in an interview with Digital Spy that he auditioned 50 to 60 actresses for the role, one of them being former Hear'Say
singer and West end star Shaw who made the trip to Yorkshire to audition from Manchester where she was playing Judy Haynes in the record breaking musical White Christmas. The decision to cast Shaw was announced on 29 January. Her original contract is for a year and she made her debut on 2 April 2010.
. Their son, Corey Mackenzie Day, was born in Kent in December 2004. The couple split on Mother's Day of the following year.
Shaw started dating Sony award winning DJ and Hider in the House
and Escape from Scorpion Island presenter Jason King
, of duo JK and Joel
. The couple had been friends since Shaw's Hear'Say days, but began dating in December 2005 after appearing together on Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
. The couple live together with Shaw's son in Yorkshire. They announced their engagement in August 2008 and the couple wed in Christchurch, Dorset
on 14 June 2009.
In 2008, Shaw was voted Celebrity Mother of the Year by the public. Following her marriage Shaw took some time off to support her new husband and to dedicate herself to family life. Shaw also said that she prefers quiet family life and goes out of her way to avoid the press and a showbiz lifestyle.
Popstars (UK series 1)
Popstars was a UK talent show series that was broadcast on ITV in early 2001. It was the first UK series of the international Popstars franchise, and was billed as a documentary on the formation of a modern pop group. The series began with audition rounds of aspiring singers performing songs...
and subsequently being a member of the band Hear'Say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
, she is now an established musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
and West End performer, actress, model and television presenter in her own right. She is also the winner of series 3 of the popular ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
program Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
. She is married to presenter Jason King
Jason King (radio)
"JK" is a Sony Gold awarding winning British radio DJ and Rose D'Or award winning TV presenter of programmes such as Hider in the House and Escape from Scorpion Island with friend and long-time colleague Joel Ross...
of duo JK and Joel
JK and Joel
Jason King and Joel Ross , known professionally as JK and Joel, are a radio show presenters and are best known for hosting the official UK chart on BBC Radio 1 between 2004 and 2007 and then presented on Virgin Radio UK, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at weekends and covering the breakfast and...
. Since April 2010, Shaw has played the character of Eve Jenson
Eve Jenson
Eve Jenson is a fictional character from the ITV1 soap opera Emmerdale, played by Suzanne Shaw. She made her first on-screen appearance on 31 August 2001. The character was originally played by Raine Davison from 2001 to 2006. In early 2010, series producer Gavin Blyth recast the role and Shaw...
in the soap opera Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
Early life
Shaw started balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
lessons at the age of two and by the age of three was attending the Lupino and Freelance Dance school, where she trained in all forms of dance. Shaw also studied acting, and performed in her first show Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
at five years of age. She joined an amateur dramatics society and did various productions, including The Sound of Music, and a West End production of Showboat at the age of nine. She was a member of an ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
tribute band, The Right Stuff, and appeared in television roles including an Esso
Esso
Esso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
advertisement, Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, and a BBC production, Elidor
Elidor
-Plot introduction:Originally written as a short radio play, the book concerns the adventures of a group of young teenagers as they struggle to hold back a terrible darkness by fulfilling a prophecy from another world...
. She also tried for the part of Maria Sutherland
Maria Sutherland
Maria Jane Connor , is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by actress Samia Smith. The character first appeared on-screen on 19 May 2000...
in Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
, and made it to the final three along with Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
member Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Walsh
Kimberley Jane Walsh is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, television presenter and actress. She is best known for being a member of girl group Girls Aloud, formed through ITV's reality television programme Popstars: The Rivals...
, but lost out to Samia Smith
Samia Smith
Samia Maxine Ghadie , is an English actress best known for playing Maria Connor in the ITV Soap Coronation Street.-Early life:...
.
Shaw also developed her musical abilities, learning the recorder and violin, at St. Mary's primary school and later the saxophone at St. Gabriel's R.C. High School
St Gabriel's RC High School (Bury)
St. Gabriels Roman Catholic High School is a Community High School and Specialist Science College in Bury, Greater Manchester. The school was opened in 1954.The current headteacher is Mr. E Robinson....
. After leaving school, she attended Oldham College for a BTec National Diploma in Performing Arts with extra units in acting essentials and devising and developing performance.
Popstars
Shaw's break came in 2001 when the ITV show Popstars launched a competition for contestants to become part of a newly formed pop band. Shaw had just turned 18, and attended the auditions and successfully made it through several elimination rounds. She was chosen as one of the ten finalists and became one of the members of Hear'SayHear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
, along with Kym Marsh
Kym Marsh
Kimberley Gail Marsh is an English actress and singer.- Early life :Marsh was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and raised in Garswood, in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
, Myleene Klass
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Quinn is an English singer, pianist, media personality and occasional model. She was formerly a member of the defunct British pop band Hear'Say.-Early life:...
, Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan , is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show Popstars.-Early life and career:...
and Danny Foster, having beaten 4,000 other hopefuls.
Their debut single was the fastest selling non-charitable record ever in the UK, selling 1.3 million copies. Their first album Popstars, went on to sell 1.2 million copies in the UK, followed by their own television show entitled Hear'say It's Saturday, performing with established artists such as Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Joe Pasquale
Joe Pasquale
Joseph Ellis "Joe" Pasquale is an English comedian from Grays, Essex, arguably most famous for his high-pitched voice, use of visual gags and more recently being crowned "King of the Jungle", on the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!...
, Bradley Walsh, Blue
Blue (boy band)
Blue are an English pop vocal group, whose members are Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa. Blue originally formed in 2001 before splitting in 2005. In 2009, it was confirmed that the band would reform. In April 2009, the group reunited and a Best of Blue Tour was announced...
and Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
. Hear'say broke many World records during their career and still hold the title of being the only musical artists to have the no.1 spot in the charts for both their debut album and debut single at the same time.
Subsequently, the band achieved a sell-out arena tour and performed numerous television guest appearances.They released their second album Everybody for the Christmas market in 2001.
Shaw made many appearances with the band on TV and in live performance venues, including "Hear'Say: A New Chapter in Full", "The Hear'Say Story", "Hear'Say It's Saturday!" and the "Royal Variety Performance" for television.
Hear'say had two number one singles, a number three single and a number six single in the British charts as well as many awards and accolades, before splitting in 2002.
Shaw co-wrote some of Hear'says songs and has stated that she continues to write although she does so under various aliases.
Post Hear'Say
Since the band broke up on 1 October 2002, just after her 21st birthday, Shaw has established herself as a leading lady in musical theatre as well as an actress, television presenter, model and as a popular media personality.Musicals
Shaw has appeared in musical theatre from a young age but following the breakup of Hear'say has begun to firmly establish herself as a leading musical theatre actress.She landed a role in the remake of the Summer Holiday musical in London's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, and later in a UK tour of the show starring alongside Darren Day and Christopher Biggins. Despite initial scepticism about the part going to a popstar Shaw received huge praise for the role such as from the British Theatre Guide which stated "And those who, like me, only know Suzanne Shaw (Bobby) as part of the manufactured pop group Hear'Say, had their eyes opened. She was a dancer, singer and actress long before Popstars, and it shows". and Nowt2do.com stating "Suzanne Shaw no doubt had the most to prove as Barbara, having come from Hear'Say but she has wowed this critic over. She light up the stage with her stunning smile and had the most powerful voice. It's hard to think that she was in Hear'Say when she was strutting her stuff with such professionalism that you would think she has been in West End Musicals for years. A real killer and big voice mixed with some superb dancing skills showed that Suzanne was the pure and simple choice for the role...sorry couldn't resist!".
In February 2005, Shaw took on the role of narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
, also in the West End. The leading role in Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
followed, and then as Janet in The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
national tour, appearing twice on Londons West End. Shaw once again reviewed rave reviews for her role from fans of the show, critics as well as creator Richard O' Brien. The Stage commented that Shaw was "a delectably wide-eyed Janet", with Critic Chris High stating "Shaw is delightful as the naive Janet and proves she has far more to offer than anything a reality TV show could ever uncover" and the British Theatre guide stating "A big surprise to me was how outstanding former Hear'Say popstar Suzanne Shaw was: she is so at home on stage with strong voice and fabulous presence". Shaw has also appeared in the musicals Chicago and White Christmas; for further details see notable roles and appearances.
Television
Acting roles post Hear'say have included The Court for Channel Four and a guest appearance on the British television police proceduralPolice procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, broadcast on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
in June 2007, playing the character of Laura Matthews.
Shaw has been a panelist for Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
as well as appearing in the reality television programmes Have I Been Here Before?
Have I Been Here Before?
Have I Been Here Before? is an ITV daytime programme, presented by Phillip Schofield, made by ITV Productions. The programme offers celebrity guests the chance to see if they have lived before, in a past life...
and Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver was a five Game show, in which six British celebrities had to perform various challenges to prove their driving prowess. The show was presented by Quentin Willson for both series, with Jenni Falconer joining as co-host for the second.-Series 1:The first series of...
and of course the popular ITV show Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
.
Media
Shaw is the face and body of the Michelle for George Ultimo range at Asda. Shaw has done two advertising campaigns for the lingerie range and according to the British Press profits soared since she took over as the model. In 2008 Shaw wrote a weekly column for WomanWoman (UK magazine)
Woman is a mainstream weekly title for 30- and 40-something women. Edited by Karen Livermore, it encompasses a mix of celebrity gossip and TV news, real-life stories, and body-confident fashion and beauty tips...
Magazine which has a circulation of over 370,000 each week.
Shaw is also an ambassador of Mattel and the deal with Shaw is the first time that Mattel and Barbie DVD distributor Entertainment Rights have undertaken together.Shaw lent her powerful vocals to the theme tune "Connected" from 2008's "Barbie(TM) and the Diamond Castle" children's movie.
Shaw has brought out a successful perfume "Ice" and interactive family DVD "Suzanne Shaw's Showtime Showdown".
She is current face of Tesco Mobile as well as Disney for which she has launched the interactive games "Disney's Sing It" and "Disney's A Christmas Carol".
Music
Shaw recorded a song entitled "Calling" for dance duo Koishii & HushKoishii & Hush
Koishii & Hush are a dance music production duo hailing from England and Canada.Simon has had his own chart success as half of the trance duo Dreamcatcher, whose tracks "I Don't Wanna Lose My Way" and "Twisted" both made the UK Top 20, as well as being part of SoulSeekerz, with their UK Top 20 hit...
which was a hit in dance charts both in the UK and the US. She also co-wrote several tracks for Hear'say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
one of which was also recorded by and featured on the second album of American pop group Jump 5.
Presenting
Shaw presented a live gameshow BingolottoBingolotto
Bingolotto is a Swedish highly popular primetime television game show lottery that was first broadcast 1989 on local TV and since 1991 nationwide on the Swedish network TV4. The show is a collaboration work between Swedish TV channel TV4, the Swedish lottery game company Folkspel and the Swedish...
on Virgin 1
Virgin 1
Channel One was a television channel owned and operated by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel was launched on 1 October 2007 at 21:00 on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky as Virgin1, replacing Ftn...
and Challenge every Friday night which Virgin 1
Virgin 1
Channel One was a television channel owned and operated by British Sky Broadcasting. The channel was launched on 1 October 2007 at 21:00 on Freeview, Virgin Media and Sky as Virgin1, replacing Ftn...
announced was its highest rated Gameshow." Shaw has also presented many special events such as "Miss Scotland" and the "Jeans for Genes Fashion Show" at Harrods. On 20 September 2008 she appeared on the second UK Kids Choice Awards 2008 on children's channel Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon UK
Nickelodeon is a children's television channel available on Sky, Virgin Media, Smallworld Cable, TalkTalk TV and UPC Ireland in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including on demand on BT Vision. The channel was launched on 1 September 1993...
as a guest presenter.
Dancing on Ice
In 2008, Shaw won series 3 of the popular ITV show Dancing on IceDancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
, performing technical footwork and solo skating skills as well as many lifts and tricks with her partner Matt Evers
Matt Evers
Matt Evers is an American pair skater, model and TV personality.-Career:With his partner Heather Allebach, Evers won the Junior pairs title at the 1998 U.S. Championships. Evers is currently training as a professional actor, model and spokesperson for U.S...
, the "Headbanger" being her most best-known of the series (recreated with the twister in her final performance). Bonnie Langford
Bonnie Langford
Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford is an English actress, dancer and entertainer. She came to prominence as a child star in the early 1970s then she subsequently became a companion of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy's Doctor Who and has appeared on stage in various musicals such as Peter Pan:...
was the first celebrity to perform the 'Headbanger' move in series 1, albeit from a lying position. Shaw is the only celebrity ever to do the Headbanger from a standing takeoff position, which is more difficult and more dangerous. Shaw also remains the only female celebrity to do the twister in the headbanger, the splits lift, the ballet lift, the walk over, a 3 jump, the famous Torvill and Dean overhead flip and cartwheel and a full death spiral amongst other moves.
On 1 March 2008, it was confirmed that she had chipped a bone in her ankle during training and there were doubts as to whether she would be able to continue in the competition. Having previously received a gash to the head and a broken rib, this did not deter her, and she vowed to carry on for her dance partner and the people who had voted for her. On 2 March, she skated with her ankle strapped and finished second from bottom on the leader board with a total of 24; however, the public saved her from the skate-off.
On 9 March, she skated in the semi-final of Dancing on Ice and again achieved the highest score of the series so far with 27.5 (it also being the score of her "Music" routine) to the song "Eternal Flame
Eternal flame
An eternal flame is a flame or torch that burns day and night for an indefinite period. The flame that burned constantly at Delphi was an archaic feature, "alien to the ordinary Greek temple"....
". Christopher Dean
Christopher Dean
Christopher Colin Dean, OBE is a famous British ice dancer who won a gold medal at the 1984 Winter Olympics with his skating partner Jayne Torvill...
stated that he was hugely impressed with her skating and performance, saying she could do both fast and slower numbers equally well and was exceptionally versatile. He also revealed that Shaw was very good at improvising as she forgot some of the steps at the start of the routine.
On 16 March, Suzanne Shaw was named the Series 3 Dancing on Ice champion, after Phillip Schofield
Phillip Schofield
Phillip Bryan Schofield is an English broadcaster and television personality best known for presenting shows such as This Morning, Dancing on Ice, and various game shows including The Cube.-Early life and career:...
announced she had won the public vote. She skated three times during the series finale, scoring a flawless five sixes with the judges in two of her routines. No contestant on Dancing on Ice had ever received five sixes before. She then went on to win the show by getting the majority of the public votes.
She also took part in related competitions, including the Tour and Christmas Special with Team Torvill. In the Christmas special Shaw again received the maximum score of 30 for her performance of the Santa Baby effectively winning the show for team Torvill. She still holds the record for being the only celebrity to have 3 perfect scores in a row.
Shaw wowed crowds in her second dancing on ice tour in April despite having to adjust to a new partner. Christopher Dean praised Shaw stating that she had "done wonders" despite less than 3 weeks training with her new partner prior to the tour. Shaw also received high praise from the judges as well as Torvill and Dean for being "an absolute professional" regarding the change of partners.
The Baron
In 2007, Shaw filmed a reality TV show named The Baron. It was due to air in Autumn 2007, but following the death of her co-star Mike ReidMike Reid (entertainer)
Michael Reid was an English comedian, actor, author and occasional television presenter from Hackney in east London, who is best remembered for playing the role of Frank Butcher in EastEnders and hosting the popular children's TV show Runaround...
in July of that year, it was postponed until April 2008. The series featured Shaw, Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
manager Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
and Mike Reid competing for a vacant Baronial title in a small Scottish town called Gardenstown
Gardenstown
Gardenstown is a small village near Banff in Aberdeenshire, Northeast Scotland. It is known locally as 'Gamrie', from the name of the parish in which it stands. Gardenstown was founded in 1720 by Alexander Garden as a coastal fishing village...
, near Banff
Banff, Aberdeenshire
Banff is a town in the Banff and Buchan area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Banff is situated on Banff Bay and faces the town of Macduff across the estuary of the River Deveron...
in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
.
During the filming, McLaren was thrown out of the village for unruly behaviour, leaving Reid and Shaw to contest the final election, which was won by Reid. Before his death, Reid had expressed a wish to have a new community centre built in the village; a number of donations have since been secured from his family and others, and this is likely to go ahead in the near future.
The show premièred on 24 April 2008 on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and attracted good viewing figures for the 3 episodes for its 10:35 pm timeslot.
Chicago
After her success on Dancing on IceDancing on Ice
Dancing on Ice is a British television show co-hosted by Christine Bleakley and Philip Schofield, in which celebrities and their professional partners figure skate in front of a panel of judges. The format, devised by LWT and Granada Television, has been a prime-time hit in eight different...
, Shaw joined the West End cast of Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
. Shaw was originally only due to play the role of Roxie Hart for 6 weeks but due to good reviews and several standing standing ovations (Daily Mail) her contract was extended until August 2008.
Shaw received a nomination for best takeover in the prestigious whatsonstage theatregoers choice awards for her performance of the role. It is rumored that Shaw was offered the role again on the West End and in a national tour in 2009 but decided to reprise her role in the Dancing on Ice Tour as she is 2008 Champion.
The Vagina Monologues
Shaw toured in The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
throughout the summer of 2009 alongside actresses such as Jessie Wallace, Wendi Peters and Sue Holderness. This is the second time Shaw has appeared in the production; her previous appearance was in Brighton in 2007.
White Christmas
Shaw starred as Judy Haynes alongside Aled Jones, Adam Cooper and Roy Dotrice in the musical White Christmas at the Lowry arts centre in Manchester until 9 January 2010. The musical became the biggest selling show in the Lowry's history despite the recession and poor weather. She received very positive reviews for the role from, for example, The Stage, which commented "The beautiful Haynes Sisters are delightfully played by Suzanne Shaw as Judy, who sings and dances with ease with talented Rachel Stanley as her sister Betty", The Lancashire Evening Post which stated "Former Hearsay star, Suzanne Shaw is a revelation, dancing, singing and acting with seasoned aplomb". and the Flintshire Chronicle which said "The show played to the actors' strengths so (Aled) Jones and (Rachel) Stanley took the big songs and (Adam) Cooper and (Suzanne) Shaw the dazzling dance routines. The former were in good voice and it was well worth the trip to Salford just to see the sublime I Love A Piano tap routine by a flying Cooper and Shaw".Emmerdale
Shaw appears as Eve Birch, the granddaughter of longstanding character Edna BirchEdna Birch
Edna Birch is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Shirley Stelfox.In a village marred by affairs, double-crossing and sin, widow Edna is a paragon of virtue. She first appeared on the show in 2000, but had been living in the village for many years...
, in the British ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
soap Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
The character first appeared on the show in 2001 originally played by Raine Davison
Raine Davison
Raine Davison is an English actress known for appearing in many English Soap Operas such as ITV's Emmerdale as Eve Birch from 2001–2002. She reprised her role on Emmerdale at the end of 2006. As of April 2010, former Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw will be taking over the role of Eve.-External links:...
, where she remained a series regular until her departure in 2002. Eve returned to the show briefly in October 2006 when she got married to James Jenson.
In January 2010 it was announced that Eve would be returning to the show after nearly a 4 year absence with the part being recast. Series producer Gavin Blyth stated in an interview with Digital Spy that he auditioned 50 to 60 actresses for the role, one of them being former Hear'Say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
singer and West end star Shaw who made the trip to Yorkshire to audition from Manchester where she was playing Judy Haynes in the record breaking musical White Christmas. The decision to cast Shaw was announced on 29 January. Her original contract is for a year and she made her debut on 2 April 2010.
Personal life
Shaw got engaged to record producer Terry Adams during her time in Hear'Say. The relationship ended during her UK tour of Summer Holiday and she began a relationship with Darren DayDarren Day
Darren Day , is an English actor, singer and television presenter, well known for his West End theatre starring roles.-Early life:His paternal grandfather was a support and warm-up act for George Formby...
. Their son, Corey Mackenzie Day, was born in Kent in December 2004. The couple split on Mother's Day of the following year.
Shaw started dating Sony award winning DJ and Hider in the House
Hider in the House
Hider in the House was a British children's game show presented by Jason King and Joel Ross . In the programme, a celebrity had to be hidden in a family's house by three children and a parent. If the family have fewer than three children, they use friends or related children to make up the numbers...
and Escape from Scorpion Island presenter Jason King
Jason King (radio)
"JK" is a Sony Gold awarding winning British radio DJ and Rose D'Or award winning TV presenter of programmes such as Hider in the House and Escape from Scorpion Island with friend and long-time colleague Joel Ross...
, of duo JK and Joel
JK and Joel
Jason King and Joel Ross , known professionally as JK and Joel, are a radio show presenters and are best known for hosting the official UK chart on BBC Radio 1 between 2004 and 2007 and then presented on Virgin Radio UK, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at weekends and covering the breakfast and...
. The couple had been friends since Shaw's Hear'Say days, but began dating in December 2005 after appearing together on Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver
Britain's Worst Celebrity Driver was a five Game show, in which six British celebrities had to perform various challenges to prove their driving prowess. The show was presented by Quentin Willson for both series, with Jenni Falconer joining as co-host for the second.-Series 1:The first series of...
. The couple live together with Shaw's son in Yorkshire. They announced their engagement in August 2008 and the couple wed in Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
on 14 June 2009.
In 2008, Shaw was voted Celebrity Mother of the Year by the public. Following her marriage Shaw took some time off to support her new husband and to dedicate herself to family life. Shaw also said that she prefers quiet family life and goes out of her way to avoid the press and a showbiz lifestyle.