Kara Tointon [Eastenders] | FEMALE CELEBRITY Kara Tointon [Eastenders] Kirsty Gallacher (Presenter) Kara Tointon [Eastenders] Known for her character as Dawn Swann in Eastenders, Kara has taken the imagination and heart rates of men to new heights since her celebrity debut. With nothing less than the same effect here on The F.Celebrity (The Network’s fastest growing Blog), we hope that men (and women) won’t over work those great hearts. Enjoy. Kara Tointon 5 August 1983, Essex, England, UK Mini Biography Standing at an average 5ft 5in, with a cheeky glint in her deep brown eyes we have Kara Tointon – a girl who is anything but average. She was brought into the world on August 5th 1983 in a small close-knit town called Southend-On-Sea in Essex. Ambitious and confident from an early age, Kara often made up her own words for things and was always amusing those around her with her random and creative moods. If she wasn’t an actress she would have attended art college.

During her teenage years she attended a private school with only 12 people in her entire year. It was here she made friends for life. At the tender age of 7 Kara began her acting career. She attended speech and drama lessons at school and she also took part in LAMDA examinations, entering local musical festivals doing poetry recital. Her first proper acting experience came when she played the part of Birgita in The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavillion. Shortly after that her first paid job was as one of the children in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Her first appearance on television was as an extra in Eastenders. Not only is she a wonderful actress but she is also highly trained in dance, specializing in Aerobics, Ballet, Bass-Baritone, Cabaret Singing, Choreography, Contemporary, Jazz and Tap. In her spare time she enjoys painting, swimming and skiing. She is a girl with endless talents. But Kara often likes to take a step back from the limelight to spend time with her family and friends who she strives to spend as much time with as possible. Her mother and younger sister Hannah in particular, who recently moved away from Essex to London to be closer to her.

Kara is also a keen shopper and likes to spend hours at a time rooting around London for rare, one-off outfits. Fading into the background isn’t her style. 2004 has been a great year for Kara. Not only did she appear in Mile High but she has recently returned to her former Dream Team role as Gina Milliano. Kara longed for a regular role in a hit TV show and it looks like her dream maybe have come true. Lives in the flat below her mum and sister. Kara lives in the flat below her family. Has stated that her favorite “EastEnders” (1985) character is Heather Trott (played by Cheryl Fergison). Was in a relationship with James Alexandrou (April 2006-November 2007). Was in a relationship with Joe Swash (October 2008-May 2010). Is a close friend of “EastEnders” (1985) co-star Lacey Turner. Made her stage debut in the role of Brigitta in a production of “The Sound Of Music” at the Cliffs Pavilion. Was diagnosed with dyslexia at 7-years-old.

Was in attendance at the funeral of her former “EastEnders” (1985) co-star Wendy Richard (9 March 2009). Was unveiled as the new face of clothing line Michelle, modelling underwear for supermarket Asda’s George (August 2009). Her “EastEnders” (1985) character Dawn Swann became the 16th woman on the soap opera to give birth. Dawn had a daughter Summer (played by Isabella and Rebecca Hagerty), born on 19 June 2007. Ranked #70 in the 100 Greatest “EastEnders” (1985) Characters of All Time for her performance as Dawn Swann (2010). Is in a relationship with dancer Artem Chigvintsev, having met on “Strictly Come Dancing” (2004) (October 2010). Participated in the 8th series of “Strictly Come Dancing” (2004) in 2010, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev, finishing 1st out of 14 celebrities.

Is one of 16 “EastEnders” (1985) actors to compete in “Strictly Come Dancing” (2004). The others, in chronological order, are Christopher Parker (Spencer Moon), Jill Halfpenny (Kate Mitchell), Patsy Palmer (Bianca Jackson), Louisa Lytton (Ruby Allen), Letitia Dean (Sharon Rickman), Matt Di Angelo (Deano Wicks), Phil Daniels (Kevin Wicks), Gillian Taylforth (Kathy Mitchell), Jessie Wallace (Kat Moon), Zoe Lucker (Vanessa Gold), Ricky Groves (Garry Hobbs), Natalie Cassidy (Sonia Fowler), ‘Jimi Mistry’ )qv) (Fred Fonesca), Scott Maslen (Jack Branning) and Anita Dobson (Angie Watts). As of 2010 she and Jill Halfpenny are the only 2 to have won the show.

Like this: BBC - Strictly Come Dancing 2010 - Celebrities - Kara Tointon Interview with Artem Biography Soap stunner Kara Tointon exploded into the nation's living rooms playing Albert Square's sexy screen siren and 'tart with a heart' Dawn Swann in EastEnders. Voted 'Sexiest Actress' at the 2008 British Soap Awards, it's little surprise that she stole the heart of not one, but two of her EastEnders co-stars and bagged plenty of tabloid column inches during her high-profile relationships with James Alexandrou and Joe Swash. Now happily single, Kara's likely to sizzle on the Strictly dance floor. But will the Rumba lead to romance? When music is on, I just jig to it. Any Beyoncé song will get me going!Kara Tointon Career At the age of 7, Kara started to go to speech and drama lessons at school. She did LAMDA exams and entered local music festivals doing poetry recitals. Kara's first acting experience was playing the part of Brigitta in The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavilion in Essex for the local amateur dramatic society.

Her first paid job was in the panto Snow White at the age of 11 - she was one of the child dancers. Her first TV appearance was in EastEnders in 1994 as an extra, playing Sonia's school friend. In 2000 after leaving school, she won a part in the Channel 4 drama Teachers. It was this job that convinced Kara that she should make acting her full-time career. In 2002, Kara appeared in Dinotopia, followed in 2004 by a role in Mile High. She then joined the cast of Dream Team as Gina Moliano, a role she played until 2005. Almost as soon as she left Dream Team it was announced she would be joining EastEnders as Dawn Swann, the sister of Mickey Miller (Joe Swash).

During her four years on EastEnders, Kara's character conned the residents of Albert Square into paying for breast implants, was kidnapped and held hostage by her lover who planned to give her an enforced caesarean, had a brief affair with Phil Mitchell, and was involved in a long-running 'will-they-won't-they' plotline with Garry Hobbs (played by last year's Strictly contestant Ricky Groves). Kara left EastEnders in 2009, saying she would love to return one day. In 2008, Kara took part in the Sport Relief version of Strictly, partnering Mark Ramprakash, and won. Background Kara was born in Basildon in Essex. Her younger sister Hannah is also an actress and has appeared in Hollyoaks. She dated James Bourne from the band Busted from the age of 15 until she won her role on EastEnders. She briefly dated James Alexandrou (Martin Fowler) before going out with Joe Swash (Mickey Miller) in 2008 just before he took part in I'm A Celebrity... They split in May 2010, and Kara is currently single.

Trivia If she wasn't an actress, Kara says she would have gone to Art College instead. She's 27 years old and is 5' 5" tall. As well as winning the Sexiest Actress gong at the National Soap Awards in 2008, Kara was also nominated for 'Most Popular Actress' at the National Television Awards in 2007. She has appeared in adverts for McDonalds and Diamond, and in 2009 she was unveiled as the face of Michelle for George underwear at Asda. Kara suffers from dyslexia and says she has a reading age of about 12, which causes her problems memorising lines for last-minute auditions. She has made a documentary about the subject for BBC Three, which will be shown in mid-November. Are you a fan of Kara and Artem? Why not join in the discussion at Kara & Artem's Blog page - the home of " Team Kartem "!

Dancing partner Kara Tointon's turn: How her career has grown since EastEnders | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV | Daily Express CELEBRITY NEWS Kara Tointon's turn: How her career has grown since EastEnders From Strictly champ to star of stage and screen, Kara Tointon's career has soared since EastEnders. And with a thrilling new film out, this could be her big moment, says Simon Button 21:55, Sun, Oct 13, 2013 Kara Tointon's career is on an upward spiral [DANIEL KENNEDY] Say what you like about Kara Tointon, but the actress is her own toughest critic. "I'm a bit of a perfectionist," confesses the 30 year old. "I never think anything is good enough. I wish for once I could say, 'That was really great,' rather than picking holes in everything." Critics would beg to differ.

Since shooting to fame as "tart with a heart" Dawn Swann in EastEnders - and being crowned dancing queen in the 2010 series of Strictly Come Dancing - Ms Tointon has shown all the signs of a national treasure in the making. Never more so than now. Over the past couple of years, Kara has been honing her craft on stage and screen, concentrating on movies such as last year's big-screen version of The Sweeney, which saw her star alongside Ray Winstone and Hayley Atwell. And she's spent this summer treading the boards with Felicity Kendal in a revival of Alan Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking. Lofty stuff for a former soap star, you might think, but the Essex girl keeps her ego in check and her feet on the ground, so it's no wonder you can often see her on public transport. "I use it all the time," she says. "But I'm really lucky when I'm doing theatre because I'm not on the tube during rush hour and I always get a seat.

Occasionally I'll get recognised, but normally I have my head down, reading a book, and if someone does spot me it's always something pleasant and nice." Kara found fame as Dawn Swann in EastEnders [DANIEL KENNEDY] Which is quite a contrast to her latest character, who gets subjected to the journey from hell in Last Passenger, a nail-biting British thriller. Kara plays a young, flirtatious woman called Sarah, who on a commuter train after a night on the town strikes up a conversation with a single dad (Dougray Scott) and thinks her luck is in. But then, for reasons we won't spoil, the train veers out of control and they're fighting for their lives. It's a change of pace for the actress, who's not a big fan of scary movies. "I'm a bit of a wuss," she admits. "I always switch off a film if it's just about killing. Some films go straight into crazy massacres for no reason and you don't care about the characters, but this one is character-based." At this point, Kara starts talking about her character's emotional journey, then stops and laughs at herself for sounding like a luvvie.

But take a look at her CV and you'll see she has every right to turn on the actorly affectations. Kara did speech and drama at school and took LAMDA courses, all of which stood her in good stead for an early appearance in panto and musical theatre, playing Brigitta in a Southend production of The Sound of Music. The beauty doesn't seem to take things to seriously [DANIEL KENNEDY] Fast-forward to 2011, and her performance as a non-singing Eliza Doolittle in a West End production of Pygmalion was described by critics as "pitch perfect". Following her star turn in The Sweeney, it's no wonder directors are seeing her screen-siren potential, and Last Passenger should offer plenty of scope for that: Kara describes her character as a "confident flirt". So could the same be said of her? "Not at all," she laughs. "But it's nice to play people who are good at things you're not." Tointon doesn't need to flirt nowadays. She's in a steady relationship with her Strictly dance partner Artem Chigvintsev, but doesn't think we need details.

"I know we met in a very public way, but who could possibly be interested in my relationship?" asks Kara, whose previous boyfriends include James Bourne from Busted and fellow EastEnders actor Joe Swash. These days, though, it's the 31-year-old Russian beau who has her heart - and she wants to keep it that way. Kara and her Strictly hunk Artem [GETTY] "I've said things in the past and then I think, 'Oh, why did I say that?' So I've made it a rule not to do it any more," she says. That rule doesn't apply to family, of course. Mum, Dad and younger sister Hannah mean everything to Kara, and there's not much they don't discuss. "I've got such a lovely family and we're very close," she says. "My parents are my dearest friends and I'm able to talk to them about anything." To give you an idea of just how tightknit the Tointons are, Kara lives in the same block as her parents, Ken and Carol. "I'm at one end and they're at the other, which is the perfect scenario," she says.

Sister Hannah, 25, is also an actress, but Kara reckons she's never seen her sibling as a rival. "I'm very proud of her," she says of the Inbetweeners star. "And the better she does, the nicer it is for the Tointon name. It's also nice to have a sister in the same business to talk to when you're having low moments. I said to my mum, 'How the heck have you turned out two actresses? Kara Tointon Hannah and I have always enjoyed the same things. So heigh-ho, that's the way it's gone, and we always say that as long as one of us is working, we're happy." While Carol is a housewife, Ken is an accountant by trade. "I said to my mum, 'How the heck have you turned out two actresses?'" Kara laughs, admitting she hasn't inherited her dad's knack for numbers. "I'm absolutely useless - I'm gutted that none of those genes were passed on to me - but the lovely thing is that my taxes and all that stuff is done for me.

Thanks to my dad, I don't need to worry - everything's in lovely files and all my friends are very envious." At school, acting proved much more of a lure than long division. "At that stage, you're finding what you can excel at and enjoy," she explains. "I always did well in speech and drama, learning poems, doing LAMDA exams - it was like a magnet for me." Kara thinks starting young has stood her in good stead for the hard-knock life of a performer. "You get used to not being right for certain roles," she says. "The rejection becomes less hurtful and you move on. You realise your time will come when you're in the right place at the right time. It's a bit of luck and a bit of riding the waves." Her family has always been supportive of her and she has never taken that for granted. "It's a luxury really, being an actress," she reflects. "Most parents would go, 'Right, now go and find a real job,' but mine never did that." It was back in 2005 - after some small parts on telly in her late teens and early twenties - that Kara was cast in EastEnders.

She ended up staying in Albert Square for four years, where the only downside was people mistaking her for her character. "At first I answered to 'Dawn' more than Kara," she recalls. "I was always thinking, 'I hate that name. I wished I'd asked for something more exotic like Sasha.' "Sorry to any Dawns out there," she adds quickly, lest she offend anyone. "It's a lovely name, but when you're being called something all the time, it's nice to have a name you really like. When I first got called Kara out in public it was a real 'Oh my goodness'." Strictly saw off the Dawn label for good, although Kara didn't expect to win "in a million years". In fact, she had been reluctant to sign up for the TV dance contest. "I'm a massive fan but I'm more comfortable watching it at home on my sofa," she says, adding that she wasn't sure it was wise to show the real her on prime-time telly. So what changed her mind? "I hadn't worked in a while and I thought, 'Sod this, I'll do it and earn some money.' But it ended up being a great experience," she says.

'Dawn' than I'd asked In the lull between soap-opera fame and glitter-ball glory, Kara made a documentary about dyslexia, Don't Call Me Stupid. She was diagnosed with the condition at the age of seven but wasn't sure going public about it was a good idea. "It's hard enough as it is, without admitting that you struggle with literacy difficulties," she reckons. "But it was incredible and I learned so much. It's lovely when people come up to me and say, 'I watched that and it really helped.' There are so many people in the same boat and it's important to speak up about it. There are a lot of ways to cope with it. It's just about unlocking the way that's right for you." Kara turned 30 this year, which can be a big deal for some, but not this sorted young star. "I feel fine about it," she says.

"I just think, 'I made it, I'm still here, just enjoy life and don't worry so much.' It's a nice place to be." Most read in TV & Radio Kara Tointon | Biography, News, Photos and Videos | Contactmusic.com Biography Kara Tointon (born 5.8.1983) Kara Tointon is a British actress who played the role of Dawn Swann in the popular TV soap opera Eastenders. Kara Tointon: Childhood Kara Tointon was born to Carol and Ken Tointon in Essex. Her sister Hannah is also an actress. Both girls attended St. Michael's school, in Leigh and then St. Hilda's school in Westcliffe-on-Sea, both in Essex. Kara was diagnosed as dyslexic at the age of seven. Kara took part in speech and drama lessons at school, taking London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art exams, as well as entering local music festivals and performing poetry recitals. Tointon also attended the Morgan Academy of Performing Arts. From the age of 15, she dated Jason Bourne of Busted, until she landed her role in Eastenders.

Kara Tointon: Acting Career Kara Tointon had her first professional acting experience when she landed the role of Brigitta in a production of The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavilion. She then got a paid job as one of the children in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Tointon's first TV appearance came when she was an extra on Eastenders, playing the friend of Sonia Fowler, who was played by Natalie Cassidy. She then went on to play the part of the student Pauline Young in the debut series of Teachers. The series also starred Tamzin Malleson, James Lance and Matthew Horne. In 2001, Kara Tointon featured in Mile High, a British TV series and also appeared in Dream Team, a Sky1 and Sky3 football drama. She then appeared in films such as Just My Luck, which starred Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine and The Football Factory, which starred Danny Dyer. She also took part in a number of adverts, for companies such as McDonalds. Tointon joined the cast of Eastenders at the same time as Tiana Benjamin, Matt Di Angelo, Kellie Shirley and Charlie Clements.

She left the show in August 2009, at the same time as Ricky Groves. After leaving the show, she appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with her partner, Eastenders star Joe Swash in Bristol. The couple split up during the show's run. In the summer of 2010, BBC Three aired a documentary entitled Kara Tointon: Don't Call Me Stupid, about her dyslexia. Later in 2010, it was announced that Kara Tointon had been selected as one of the contestants on that year's series of Strictly Come Dancing. Her partner for the show was Artem Chigvintsev. The judge Alesha Dixon awarded Tointon the first score of 10 of the series. Matt Baker and Pamela Stephenson were in the final with Tointon, who finally won the series. Other notable contestants included Goldie and Ann Widdecombe.

Biography by Contactmusic.com Kara Tointon - Various stars of film and television were photographed on the red carpet as they arrived for the the EE British Academy of Film and Television Awards which were held at The Opera House in London, United Kingdom - Sunday 8th February 2015 Kara Tointon - Biography - IMDb Kara Tointon Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Trivia (18) | Personal Quotes (1) Overview (3) 5' 4½" (1.64 m) Mini Bio (1) Standing at an average 5ft 5in, with a cheeky glint in her deep brown eyes we have Kara Tointon - a girl who is anything but average. She was brought into the world on August 5th 1983 in a large Essex town called Southend-On-Sea.. Ambitious and confident from an early age, Kara often made up her own words for things and was always amusing those around her with her random and creative moods. If she wasn't an actress she would have attended art college. During her teenage years she attended a private school with only 12 people in her entire year.

It was here she made friends for life. At the tender age of 7 Kara began her acting career. She attended speech and drama lessons at school and she also took part in LAMDA examinations, entering local musical festivals doing poetry recital. Her first proper acting experience came when she played the part of Birgita in The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavillion. Shortly after that her first paid job was as one of the children in the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Her first appearance on television was as an extra in Eastenders. Not only is she a wonderful actress but she is also highly trained in dance, specializing in Aerobics, Ballet, Bass-Baritone, Cabaret Singing, Choreography, Contemporary, Jazz and Tap. In her spare time she enjoys painting, swimming and skiing. She is a girl with endless talents. But Kara often likes to take a step back from the limelight to spend time with her family and friends who she strives to spend as much time with as possible. Her mother and younger sister Hannah in particular, who recently moved away from Essex to London to be closer to her.

Kara is also a keen shopper and likes to spend hours at a time rooting around London for rare, one-off outfits. Fading into the background isn't her style. 2004 has been a great year for Kara. Not only did she appear in Mile High but she has recently returned to her former Dream Team role as Gina Milliano. Kara longed for a regular role in a hit TV show and it looks like her dream maybe have come true. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Lola Trivia (18) Older sister of Hannah Tointon . Kara lives in the flat below her family. Has stated that her favorite EastEnders (1985) character is Heather Trott (played by Cheryl Fergison ). Was in a relationship with James Alexandrou (April 2006-November 2007). Was in a relationship with Joe Swash (October 2008-May 2010). Is a close friend of EastEnders (1985) co-star Lacey Turner . Made her stage debut in the role of Brigitta in a production of "The Sound Of Music" at the Cliffs Pavilion. Was diagnosed with dyslexia at 7-years-old.

Was in attendance at the funeral of her former EastEnders (1985) co-star Wendy Richard (9 March 2009). Was unveiled as the new face of clothing line Michelle, modelling underwear for supermarket Asda's George (August 2009). Her EastEnders (1985) character, "Dawn Swann", became the 16th woman on the soap opera to give birth. Dawn had a daughter "Summer" (played by Isabella Hagerty and Rebecca Hagerty), born on 19 June 2007. Ranked #70 in the 100 Greatest EastEnders (1985) Characters of All Time for her performance as Dawn Swann (2010). Was in a relationship with dancer Artem Chigvintsev , having met on Strictly Come Dancing (2004) (December 2010-July 2014). Participated in the 8th series of Strictly Come Dancing (2004) in 2010, partnered with Artem Chigvintsev , finishing 1st out of 14 celebrities.

Kara Tointon | Articles | The List Kara Tointon 15 Nov 2016 TV gossip Kara Tointon has a "really great" long-term memory. The 33-year-old actress has opened up on numerous occasions about her tough battle with dyslexia - a common learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling - but… 5 Apr 2016 TV gossip Kara Tointon has been cast in 'The Halcyon'. The former 'EastEnders' actress - who recently played the lead role Maria in 'The Sound of Music Live' last year - will star alongside Matt Ryan, Steven Mackintosh, Olivia Williams, Alex Jennings… 14 Dec 2015 TV gossip Kara Tointon says her 'Strictly Come Dancing' romance was "inevitable". The 'EastEnders' star dated her professional dance partner Artem Chigvintsev - who she met on the BBC One show - for four years and claims the producers put her with the dancer… 23 Oct 2015 TV gossip Kara Tointon is to star in a Christmas Day live broadcast of 'The Sound of Music'.

The 32-year-old actress - who's previously starred as Dawn Swann in 'EastEnders' - is to play the part of Maria in the two-and-a-half-hour TV dramatisation of the… 19 Jul 2015 TV gossip Kara Tointon is reportedly dating TV host Matt Johnson. The 31-year-old actress, who's best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap 'EastEnders', split from her 'Strictly Come Dancing' partner Artem Chigvintsev last year and has since been spotted… 26 Jan 2015 TV gossip Kara Tointon was "empowered" by her sister. The 'EastEnders' star has admitted that fellow actress, Hannah Tointon, inspired her to take rejection from acting roles better. She said: "It was with acting that I found my comfort zone. At first, it… 29 Oct 2014 TV gossip Kara Tointon has confirmed she and Artem Chigvintsev are no longer together.

The 'EastEnders' actress first met the professional dancer when she was partnered with him on 'Strictly Come Dancing' in 2010 but she's now revealed their relationship has… 22 Apr 2014 TV gossip Former 'EastEnders' star Kara Tointon and her sister Hannah have joined the cast of in 'Mr Selfridge'. The siblings, who have never acted together before, will play the entrepreneur's daughters in the period drama and are set to bring glamour to the… 17 Mar 2014 TV gossip Kara Tointon hasn't danced since competing on 'Strictly Come Dancing'. The former 'EastEnders' actress won the ballroom show in 2010 but is "sad" to admit she hasn't used the skills she learnt since lifting the glitterball trophy. Asked if she… 12 Mar 2014 TV gossip Kara Tointon won't appear in another soap.

The 30-year-old actress was portrayed Dawn Swann on 'EastEnders' for four years until 2009 and though she loved being part of a "team", she wouldn't want to commit to another long-running drama because she… 12 Dec 2013 TV gossip 'Strictly Come Dancing's Artem Chigvintsev and Kara Tointon have "called time" on their relationship. The pair made their romance official after they won the dance competition in 2010, but their romance has since hit the rocks and their feelings for… 17 Oct 2013 Gripping low budget action flick set on a runaway train, from debut director Omid Nooshin Set on board a late night train, Omid Nooshin’s low budget action thriller follows a group of passengers as they find themselves speeding to near-certain death at the hands of a maniacal driver. The reason for their predicament is never revealed but the… 4 Sep 2012 TV Gossip An all-star version of 'Strictly Come Dancing' could be on its way.

The BBC One show - which sees celebrities paired with professional dancers to learn a new routine each week - will return to TV screens for its 10th series later this month and… 16 Jul 2012 TV Gossip Billie Piper has pulled out of BBC comedy 'Tom and Jenny'. The 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl' star has decided to quit the role - which tells the story of a warring couple forced to live together after splitting up - in order to spend more time on… 9 Jun 2012 TV Gossip Ola Jordan wants to be a judge on 'Strictly Come Dancing'. The 29-year-old professional dancer - who won the show in 2009 when she was paired with BBC presenter Chris Hollins - would "love" to join the panel in place of departed star Alesha Dixon… 16 Apr 2012 TV Gossip Lorraine Kelly has returned to host her ITV1 chat show after being trampled on by a horse.

The 52-year-old presenter was "lost for words" on her return to 'Lorraine' after two months away following the accident, which saw her lose three pints of… 25 Feb 2012 TV Gossip An unknown choreographer is set to replace Alesha Dixon on the 'Strictly Come Dancing' judging panel. Karen Bruce - who is behind the Take That musical - is being lined up by bosses of the BBC One show to become the new judge after Alesha quit in… 17 Feb 2012 TV Gossip Charlie Brooks is quitting 'EastEnders' for six months to take part in 'Strictly Come Dancing'. The actress - who won the Christmas special of the celebrity dancing show in December - will bow out of her role as Janine Malloy in the BBC One soap in… 30 Jan 2012 TV Gossip Len Goodman thinks Kara Tointon would be "great" on the 'Strictly Come Dancing' judging panel.

The 67-year-old star - who is joined on the BBC One show by Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli - thinks the former 'Strictly' winner could bring a… 15 Jan 2012 TV Gossip Bruno Tonioli wants Kara Tointon to replace Alesha Dixon on the 'Strictly Come Dancing' judging panel. The 56-year-old judge is backing the former 'EastEnders' actress - who won the BBC One show alongside Artem Chingvintsev in 2010 - or ex 'Strictly… 4 Jan 2012 TV Gossip Nicole Scherzinger is being lined up to replace Alesha Dixon on 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Show bosses are reportedly hoping to poach the US 'X Factor' judge - who won 'Dancing With The Stars', the American version of the BBC One series, in 2010 - from… 22 Oct 2011 TV Gossip 'Strictly Come Dancing' star Holly Valance wants to "hang out" with her partner Artem Chigvintsev after the show ends because he's such a "lovely guy".

The former 'Neighbours' actress and Artem have developed a great friendship since they started… 19 Oct 2011 TV Gossip Kara Tointon and Artem Chingvintsev could be on the rocks after the 'Strictly Come Dancing' hunk stormed out their London home. The couple - who met when they were partnered alongside each other, and eventually won, last year's series of the BBC One… 15 Aug 2011 TV Gossip 'Strictly Come Dancing' champion Kara Tointon has moved in with boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev. The former 'EastEnders' actress - who met the Russian dancer while competing on the BBC reality show -loves "feeling settled" with Artem but has no plans to… 28 May 2011 TV Gossip Kara Tointon was "relieved" when she was written out of 'EastEnders'.

The actress - who played Dawn Swann in the BBC soap until 2009 - got caught up in the show's "bubble" and even started answering to her character's name, but ultimately found the… Strictly winner Kara Tointon on her new role in The Sound of Music Live - Telegraph TV and Radio Strictly winner Kara Tointon on her new role in The Sound of Music Live The hills are alive… with the buzz around Kara Tointon’s new role as Maria in The Sound of Music Live. She talks about Strictly, dyslexia and the downside of fame 'It’s important to push yourself into the unknown' Photo: Alisa Connan/Camera Press By Sally Williams 10:00PM GMT 12 Dec 2015 Kara Tointon, best known as Dawn Swann in EastEnders and for winning the eighth season of Strictly Come Dancing, is the first to admit that she’s a worrier. And there are, she says, many worrying aspects to her latest role as Maria in The Sound of Music Live. ‘Singing is my Achilles heel. It’s unbelievably scary for me,’ she says.

‘It’s the first song, The Hills Are Alive, that I’m most worried about. Once I get through that, I’ll be all right.’ The real-life story of Maria, the novice nun from Salzburg, Austria, who became a governess to Captain von Trapp’s seven children and, eventually, his wife, has been adapted before, of course. The Sound of Music with original songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein debuted on Broadway in 1959. The film of The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews as Maria, premiered in 1965. There has even been a Sing-along-a Sound-of Music, where audience members sing to subtitles, karaoke-style, dressed up as nuns. Kara as Maria Von Trapp Photo: ITV Now the musical is to be broadcast live as a Christmas special for ITV , featuring five purpose-built sets that include 80 living trees and a sweeping staircase based on the von Trapp original. ‘It’s a celebration of something very heartfelt, very heart-warming,’ says Kara. She has rarely sung professionally before – yet now she is to sing some of musical history’s most iconic songs live on TV.

‘It’s important to push yourself into the unknown and do things that scare you,’ she says. It’s that attitude that led her to win Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 with her handsome Russian dance partner Artem Chigvintsev, despite a torn ligament in her lower arm (she’d been practising back flips). She was rushed to hospital within hours of celebrating their win with a passionate kiss. The pair confirmed the romance their fans had been hoping for and went on to have a four-year relationship. ‘We’re still good friends,’ she says now. Hard work and determination have marked her career. She debuted as a soap star in EastEnders at 21. Her roles since have extended to stage and film, including a highly acclaimed Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, alongside Rupert Everett and Dame Diana Rigg, in the West End in 2011; the bride of a Russian prince in TV series Mr Selfridge ; and a Hitchcockian blonde in the film Last Passenger. She’s also acted alongside Felicity Kendal (Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking) and Ray Winstone (The Sweeney). But perhaps her greatest achievement has been overcoming dyslexia.

She was diagnosed aged seven and has the reading age of a 12-year-old. At school, she felt out of step. ‘I did feel quite down about it a lot of the time,’ she says. With dance partner and ex-boyfriend Artem Chigvintsev Photo: BBC We meet in a church hall in central London, where The Sound of Music Live cast are rehearsing. When Kara breaks for lunch, we talk over a bowl of soup in a nearby restaurant. At 32, she has the grace and athleticism you’d expect from someone who won a Glitterball Trophy for her salsa, and looks elegant in black jeans (Topshop) and heeled ankle boots (Dune). ‘I like mixing high street with designer labels – Stella McCartney and Isabel Marant are my favourites,’ she says. She has small, neat features and is warm with an easy smile. But what comes as a surprise is the crying. Over and over again her eyes fill with tears. She breaks down in rehearsals after duetting Something Good with Julian Ovenden (Captain Georg von Trapp). ‘It’s one of my favourite songs,’ she explains. And again when she starts talking about her parents.

‘I owe everything to them – they made sure the dyslexia has never been a problem.’ I ask if they cry easily too. ‘They don’t cry! They don’t know where I get it from.’ "Someone once told me, if it’s only fear that’s holding you back, then do it" She has many talents and in particular is a brilliant mimic. She treats me to a wonderful imitation of Artem: ‘You’d better practise then,’ after she told him she wanted to do the move from Dirty Dancing , when Patrick Swayze drags Jennifer Grey across the floor with her legs in the splits. She says she knew what the producers were up to when they paired her with Artem: ‘I was single and they put me with the single guy! I was so angry. I was determined we wouldn’t get together and then of course you’re spending so much time with this person and he was so wonderful… So yes, it was inevitable really’. She has always been obsessed with musicals and auditioned for the role of Maria in July. ‘Someone once told me, if it’s only fear that’s holding you back, then do it,’ she explains.

She was walking her dog Winston, a schnauzer-pinscher cross, in the park near her parents’ home in north London, where she’s currently staying, when her agent rang to tell her she had got the part. ‘I swore and went, oh no!’ Research included a pilgrimage to Salzburg, visiting Nonnberg Abbey, where Maria was a postulant. ‘It was the best thing we could have done, just soaking up the atmosphere. When I sing The Hills Are Alive , I’m picturing where we went that day.’ She isn’t fazed by the quick costume changes or the blood-chilling prospect of drying up mid-song. ‘I’m excited by the live element. There are going to be little hiccups but that’s the nature of it.’ What keeps her awake at night is sounding like Julie Andrews . ‘I like mimicking people, but you shouldn’t start mimicking the people you are playing,’ she says. Although she adds that this is the musical, not the film, and some scenes are quite different. ‘ITV is being so brave.

Everyone is coming out of their comfort zone to bring a bit of theatre into people’s homes at Christmas.’ Kara grew up in Basildon, Essex, the older daughter of Carol, a housewife, and Ken, an accountant. Her younger sister, Hannah, is also an actress. They went to St Michael’s School, a private school in Leigh-on-Sea, from the age of four to 16. ‘Dad had met someone whose daughter went to the school and he thought she was confident, so he worked really hard to send us there.’ Her parents assumed she was doing well at school. ‘I was very good at memorising what went on in class. When I got home and was reading with Mum and Dad, I’d look at the pictures and remember what other kids had read out. So when they were called into the school and told I was 26 books behind everyone else in the class, it was a real shock. They’d never heard of dyslexia and I was a bright spark in their eyes.’ As Dawn Swann in EastEnders Photo: BBC She had difficulty remembering times tables and the alphabet, as well as with reading. She and her parents poured considerable time and effort into alternative methods.

‘Putting things to a rhyme or rhythm helped,’ she recalls. She still learns her lines using a memory game. ‘I write one line down about 15 times and read it and then write the second line another 15 times. It’s like the apples and pears game, “I went to the shop and bought apples. I went to the shop and bought apples and pears…”’ In 2010, she made a documentary about the impact of dyslexia, Kara Tointon: Don’t Call Me Stupid . A coach on the documentary taught her another method. ‘He told me to write the line on a Post-it note, walk over to something in the room and you say the line aloud as you stick the Post-it note down. Then you walk to another part of the room with the next line and do the same thing. It’s physically mapping a journey of where the lines go and suddenly it clicks,’ she explains. Kara alongside Jeremy Piven in Mr Selfridge Photo: ITV The effects of dyslexia are clear, she says. Her short-term memory is terrible; she’s easily distracted and disorganised. But she also believes it’s given her a highly developed empathy.

‘If there’s a room of people, I’m always trying to imagine what it’s like to be them – what they’re thinking, what their lives are like – which is a great thing for acting because you always have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.’ What made all the difference, she says, is the way her parents reacted after the diagnosis. ‘We sat around the dining room table and they said, “Right, let’s pick a hobby.” We decided on gymnastics and acting. It meant that if my self-esteem was low at school, I could go and excel at something.’ A family friend suggested she audition for the Sylvia Young Agency , which represents child actors. She appeared in TV adverts (Pringles, Woolworths, McDonald’s) at 12 and worked as an extra (‘I was a flower shouting out a prize on Live & Kicking!’). She played a few small parts in such TV series as Jonathan Creek and Teachers, and a bigger role as Gina Moliano, the younger sister of three hardened footballers, in Dream Team, a TV series about a fictional football club.

And then, out of the blue, she was offered the role of Dawn Swann, a barmaid and ‘tart with a heart’ in EastEnders in 2005. Kara with Rupert Everett in Pygmalion Photo: Alastair Muir The character boosted her profile, but she didn’t always like the spotlight. ‘It was odd because people called you by your character’s name and I hated my character’s name. People would yell, “Dawn!”’ She also bore the brunt of some of Dawn’s storylines, such as a dating a married man, falling pregnant with his baby, and being held hostage. ‘People would put you on the spot because you’re the person seen doing all these things. I really struggled with that.’ When she was written out in 2009, she didn’t get a job for a year. ‘I knew it would be difficult, but you don’t realise how hard it’s going to be. EastEnders brought celebrity, and you get offered all the things you don’t want to be offered. I thought, “This isn’t why I went into this.

I don’t want to go on a game show.” So I thought I’d give it a year and then train to do something different. I’d always wanted to do interior design . Strictly came up just when I’d put the idea of acting to bed.’ She loved the routine after months of not working, ‘but it was very intense. We had three weeks of training before the show and it was like an army camp. We did six to eight hours a day in the gym.’ The show was a turning point. With its end came the offer to audition in Pygmalion . ‘People knew my real name, which was nice. But people soon forget. They’d say, “You were so good in Dancing on Ice.”’ But fame flustered her. Her private life became public when her dance partner became her boyfriend. ‘It was my worst nightmare. I hate people knowing everything,’ she says. When I ask about subsequent relationships, she simply smiles and shakes her head. At the Olivier Awards in 2012 Photo: Rex She rarely goes out – ‘I keep expecting to suddenly become this sociable person, but it hasn’t happened yet’ – and doesn’t have many close friends.

Her life with her family is very self-contained. ‘Somebody said we’re too close, because we just hang out with each other.’ She likes to go to the gym and has a personal trainer every Saturday. ‘If I can fit anything else in at the moment, it’s a bonus.’ Kara’s long-term aim is to do more theatre and film – although she thinks in terms of quality rather than quantity. ‘It has to be something that’s leading somewhere,’ she says, tracing an upward trajectory in the air with her index finger. And with that, she gets up from the table and heads back to rehearsals. ‘The Sound of Music Live’ airs on Sunday 20 December at 7.30pm on ITV Top Galleries

Question: Who portrays Kara Tointon in TV's "Eastenders"?
Answer: Dawn Swann