Natalie Gumede
Natalie Gumede | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 March 1984 Burnley, Lancashire, England |
| Occupation(s) | 2004–present (Actress) 2014–present (Fashion Artist) |
| Television | Ideal (2004-2007, 2010) Coronation Street (2011-13) Strictly Come Dancing (2013) |
Natalie Gumede (born 21 March 1984) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Kirsty Soames in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street. She previously played China in BBC Three's Ideal.[1] She has also appeared in The Persuasionists and Emmerdale. Gumede was a runner-up in the 2013 series of Strictly Come Dancing. From 2014, Gumede has led a comedy web series titled Sally the Life Coach. She has also passed her degree in fashion and is currently designing her own range of clothes.
Early life
Gumede was born in Burnley, Lancashire and lived in Colne during her early life, attending first Christ Church C of E Primary School and then Park High School. Her father is Zimbabwean and her mother is of English descent. Her grandfather Josiah Gumede was the only President of the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesia.[2] At the age of 11 while attending Pendle Hippodrome Youth Theatre, she was picked by BBC producers to help present the north-west regional insert for Children in Need in 1995.[3] She attended the London Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts graduating with a BA Hons in 2003 from a three-year course in Acting.[4]
Career
From 2004 until 2007, Gumede played China in the dark-comedy sitcom series, Ideal, who along with her friend Asia (Rebecca Atkinson), was one of Moz's regular clients. Her character featured in the pilot episode, and was a regular in the first three series. In 2008, she featured in her first full length film, Clubbed, a British drama about a 1980s factory worker who takes up a job as a club doorman. In 2005, Gumede made a guest appearance in the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, portraying Tania Coles. In 2010, Gumede featured in the sitcom The Persuasionists, broadcast on BBC Two, set in the world of advertising, starring Iain Lee, Simon Farnaby, Adam Buxton, Jarred Christmas and Daisy Haggard.
In September 2011, Gumede made her first appearance in the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portraying Kirsty Soames, who became the domestic abusive love interest to mechanic Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall). She had previously tried out for the part of Kelly Crabtree, but lost out to Tupele Dorgu.[5] For her portrayal of the character, Gumede had received the Best Newcomer accolade at the 2012 British Soap Awards.[6] She was later nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the TV Choice Awards and voted Most Popular Newcomer during the 18th National Television Awards.[7][8] In Digital Spy's end of year reader poll, Kirsty's domestic abuse storyline with on-screen boyfriend Tyrone won Best Storyline with 28.3% of the vote.[9] On 21 February 2013, it was announced that she would leave the soap after a year-and-a-half, and departed when her character, Kirsty, went to prison on 3 April 2013. Since March 2014, Gumede has starred in a comedy online series entitled Sally The Life Coach, in which she plays the lead role. This role allows her to show off her serious acting ability in this gritty drama. In April 2014, Gumede signed a deal with Derby House to launch her equestrian range of clothing for the corporation.
Strictly Come Dancing
In 2013, Gumede was a runner-up on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing. Her professional partner was the eighth series champion, Artem Chigvintsev. They quickly became the early favourites for the title after a strong start.[10] However, their progress also drew criticism after it emerged that Gumede had previously trained as a dancer when she was a child, and possibly gave her an unfair advantage. In the Final, She lost out to Abbey Clancy & Aljaz Skorjanec and came Joint second along with Susanna Reid & Kevin Clifton.
| Week No. | Dance/Song | Judges' score | Result | ||||
| Craig Revel Horwood | Darcey Bussell | Len Goodman | Bruno Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Cha Cha Cha – "Rasputin" | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 31 | None |
| 2 | Waltz - "If I Ain't Got You" | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 34 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba - "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 36 | Safe |
| 4 | Quickstep - "Yeah!" | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 5 | Samba - "Bamboléo" | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| 6 | Viennese Waltz - "Devil in Me" | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 38 | Safe |
| *7 | Jive - "Proud Mary" | *N/A | *N/A | *N/A | *N/A | *N/A | Given Bye |
| 8 | Charleston - "Bang Bang" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Safe |
| 9 | Tango - "Where Have You Been" | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 37 | Safe |
| 10 | American Smooth - "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 36 | Safe |
| 11 | Paso Doble - "El Gato Montes" | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 35 | Safe |
| Swing-a-thon - "Do You Love Me" | N/A | N/A | 6 | N/A | 6 | ||
| 12 | Salsa - "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | Bottom Two |
| Argentine Tango - "Montserrat" | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 38 | ||
| 13 | Cha Cha Cha – "Rasputin" | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 39 | Runner Up |
| Showdance - "Steppin' Out with My Baby" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | ||
| American Smooth - "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 40 | ||
Television/Online Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–2007, 2010 | Ideal | China | Series Regular |
| 2005 | Emmerdale | Tania Coles | 5 Episodes |
| 2010 | The Persuasionists | Susie | |
| 2011–2013 | Coronation Street | Kirsty Soames | Series Regular |
| 2013 | Strictly Come Dancing | Herself | Contestant |
| 2014-2015 | Sally The Life Coach | Sally | Comedy Web Show (3 Series) |
| 2014 | Doctor Who | TBA | Guest role (1 episode) |
| 2015-present | Death in Paradise | Lucy Thomson | Series Regular |
Film/Stage Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Von Trapped | Madison Avenue | TV Movie |
| 2006 | Billy Liar | Liz | Stage |
| 2008 | Clubbed | Jo | Film |
Commercial Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | National Lottery Euromillions Rollover | Woman |
| 2006 | Coke Zero | Girlfriend |
| 2006 | Admiral Car Insurance | Jane |
| 2012 | DFS Sofa Advert | Voice |
References
- ^ "Press Office - Ideal supporting female cast". BBC. 2004-12-13. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
- ^ http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/strictly-come-dancing/strictly-come-dancing-2013-natalie-gumede-reveals-my-grandfather-josiah-was-a-president/
- ^ This is Lancashire (News Archive) Accessed 2010
- ^ info@blue-compass.com. "Casting Call Pro, for acting jobs, agents and auditions". Uk.castingcallpro.com. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
- ^ Corrie Babe Natalie Gumede Estate Agent
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (29 April 2012). "British Soap Awards 2012 - the winners". Digital Spy. (Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ {{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a405010/tvchoice-awards-2012-the-winners-in-full.html%7Ctitle=TVChoice Awards 2012: The winners - In full|last=Daniels|first=Colin|date=10 September 2012|work=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Magazines UK|accessdate=10 September 2012}}
- ^ "National TV Awards 2013: The nominees". BBC News. BBC. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (22 December 2012). "'EastEnders', Corrie, 'Hollyoaks' all win in Digital Spy's 2012 poll". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/strictly-come-dancing-natalie-gumede-2247422
External links
- Living people
- 1984 births
- English television actresses
- Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
- People from Burnley
- People from Colne
- English female dancers
- Black British actresses
- British people of Zimbabwean descent
- English stage actresses
- English film actresses
- English video game actresses
- 20th-century British actresses
- 21st-century British actresses
- Strictly Come Dancing participants
- English soap opera actresses