Jennifer Ellison (born May 30, 1983) is an English actress, singer and dancer. Ellison, who was born in Liverpool, is perhaps best known for playing Emily Shadwick in the television soap opera Brookside until 2003, when she became a pop singer.
Since the age of three years old, Ellison has trained as a dancer. Her achievements in the field included world titles as well as winning the National Ballet and Modern Dance Championships two years running in 1996 and 1997. She also trained with the Royal Ballet School until she was sixteen.
Ellison's acting career started in 1998 with her role as Emily Shadwick O'Leary on the British soap opera, Brookside. Her stay in Brookside ended in 2003. In 2004 Ellison appeared on the reality television show Hell's Kitchen, which she went on to win. The same year Ellison ventured into film, where she played Meg Giry, Christine Daae's friend and Madame Giry's daughter, in Joel Schumacher's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Ellison also recently appeared in an episode of the ITV legal drama The Brief.
Ellison has also flirted with a pop rock career. Her first hit single was Baby I Don't Care, released in June 2003, which reached number six in the charts. The song was originally released by Transvision Vamp in 1989. The following year in July, after being brought back into the public eye after winning Hell's Kitchen, Ellison released her second single, Bye Bye Boy, which reached number 13 in the UK charts.
Ellison is currently featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. She recently took over Jordan's contract with lingerie giant, Ultimo, for its "Young Attitude" line, barely two months after signing Jordan on. Though Ultimo boss Michelle More had earlier chosen Jordan for being "sexy, fun and outgoing," she later changed her mind stating, "Jordan was just the wrong choice for [us]. Jennifer is a far better option and far classier." In 2005 she was voted "world's sexiest blonde" by readers of the UK magazine, Nuts, beating model Victoria Silvstedt, who came second and pop superstar Britney Spears who was voted third. Ellison is also a regular in the yearly FHM "100 Sexiest Women in the World" feature. She first appeared in 2003 at number 50, then at number 40 in 2004 and in 2005 she was at number 23. In FHM's current, 2006, poll Ellison is listed at number 31.
It was announced in 2005, that Ellison was to act in the lead role opposite Dexter Fletcher in the horror film, The Cottage. Ellison was also cast as Cleopatra in a modern version of the Caesar and Cleopatra story and is acting in the West End play, Marlon Brando's Corset.
In early 2006 she broke up with longtime fiancé Tony Richardson. However, they were soon reconciled.
Jennifer returned to the Chicago musical, in London from July 10th 2006 to August 9th, playing the leading role of Roxie Hart. Jennifer was actually supposed to finish on August 12th, but was forced to pull out three days early due to a knee injury.
