# Laura Rollins

Laura Rollins (born 20 December 1988) is a British-Bajan actress, known for portraying the role of Ayesha Lee on the BBC soap opera Doctors, a role which she played from 2014 to 2020. For her portrayal of Ayesha, she received an accolade at the RTS Midlands Awards. Since leaving Doctors, Rollins has appeared in various television series including Innocent and Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

## Life and career

Rollins was born on 20 December 1988. She is of British and Barbadian heritage. She began her acting training at the Custard Factory aged nine, after which she was offered a place at the Carlton Junior Television Workshop. Whilst attending, Rollins made her television debut on the children's series The Demon Headmaster in 1998, at the age of ten. She was also featured in various advertisements and performed at the British Academy Children's Awards.
In 1999, Rollins starred in Welcome To Orty Fou as Caroline Saunders. After leaving the workshop, Rollins began attending the University of Leeds, studying English and theatre. She then did a one-year course at Arts Educational Schools in London.
In 2013, she appeared in the feature film Communion, and in 2014, she auditioned for a role in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She took a sick day from work to attend the audition, and after a two-week process, she was given the role of Ayesha Lee. While on the series, Rollins' character's storylines included romances with co-workers Sid Vere (Ashley Rice) and Bear Sylvester (Dex Lee), facing prejudice due to her race and troubled upbringing and struggling with her mother's alcoholism and subsequent death, for which she won a Royal Television Society award.
Rollins then starred in the 2016 short film From Noya, and the 2018 short film Shining Tor, for which she won Best Performance for at the 2019 Short Film Awards.
In January 2020, Rollins appeared in an episode of the BBC crime drama Silent Witness as Kate Langley. On 20 May 2020, it was announced that Rollins would be leaving Doctors after six years in the role of Ayesha. Her final scenes aired on 5 June 2020. In 2021, she starred in the second series of the ITV drama Innocent. Then in 2022, she made appearances in Father Brown and Miss Scarlet and The Duke.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | The Demon Headmaster | Game Show Winner | 1 episode |
| 1999 | Welcome to Orty-Fou | Caroline Saunders | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Communion | Anna | Film |
| 2014–2020 | Doctors | Ayesha Lee | Regular role |
| 2016 | From Noya | Paige | Short film |
| 2018 | Details to Follow | Gaia | Short film |
| 2018 | The Reserves | Jamie | Also executive producer |
| 2018 | Shining Tor | Amber | Short film |
| 2019 | That Phone Call | Willow | Short film |
| 2020 | Silent Witness | Kate Langley | Episode: "Hope: Part 1" |
| 2020 | Fortune Cookie | Natalie | Short film |
| 2021 | Innocent | DS Suzy Jones | Main role |
| 2021 | There's Always Hope | Sanya | Film |
| 2022 | Father Brown | Helen Delaney | Episode: "The Wayward Girls" |
| 2022 | Miss Scarlet and The Duke | Clementine | Recurring role |
| 2023 | Death in Paradise | Cheryl Horner | Episode: "#12.3" |
| 2023 | Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures | Cath (voice) | Episode: "The Colour of Terror" |
| 2023 | Champion | Mercedes | Episode: "Rise of the Phoenix" |
| 2023 | Star Cops | Anya Selby (voice) | Episode: "Grandma's Footsteps" |
| 2023 | The Good Ship Murder | Courtney Campbell | Episode: "Malta" |
| 2025 | Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures | Umbriel (voice) | Episode: "The Living Darkness" |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2015 | Screen Nation | Female Performance in TV | Doctors | Nominated |
| 2016 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | Doctors | Longlisted |
| 2018 | National Television Awards | Serial Drama Performance | Doctors | Longlisted |
| 2018 | British Soap Awards | Best Female Dramatic Performance | Doctors | Nominated |
| 2018 | RTS Midlands Awards | Acting Performance – Female | Doctors | Won |
| 2018 | Inside Soap Awards | Best Daytime Star | Doctors | Longlisted |
| 2019 | British Soap Awards | Best Actress | Doctors | Longlisted |
| 2019 | Short Film Awards | Best Performance | Shining Tor | Won |