Chanel Cresswell

Chanel Cresswell is an English actress who gained prominence for her performance as Kelly Jenkins in the feature film This Is England and its subsequent television continuations. Her work in the franchise earned her significant recognition, including a major British academy award. Over her career, she has built a varied portfolio across UK television and film, taking on lead roles in comedy series, legal television dramas, and streaming productions.

Born on 23 January 1990 in Derbyshire, Cresswell spent her childhood in the Derbyshire village of Codnor. She received her secondary education at Aldercar Community Language College. Her early interest in performance began with a school stage production of Bugsy Malone. While continuing her schooling, she joined the Nottingham Television Workshop, where director Shane Meadows successfully auditioned her for her screen debut.

Cresswell began her professional career at age fifteen, playing Kelly Jenkins in the 2006 drama film This Is England. She later returned to play Kelly in three follow-up miniseries broadcast on Channel 4: This Is England '86 in September 2010, This Is England '88 in December 2011, and This Is England '90, which ran from September to October 2015. For her performance in the 2015 series, she won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2016 British Academy Television Awards.

Alongside her role in the This Is England projects, Cresswell accumulated credits in a variety of other screen projects. Her earlier appearances include roles in Casualty, Butterfly, Bale, and Wish 143, as well as playing the character Hailey in the television film Dive.

In 2011, Cresswell was cast as Katie McVey in the Sky One sitcom Trollied. She appeared in the show from 2011 to 2013, later returning in 2015 and remaining with the series until its final episode in December 2018. She subsequently played the central role of Jess Meredith in the ITV drama series The Bay, which premiered in March 2019.

In 2022, Cresswell starred as Coleen Rooney in Channel 4's two-part production Vardy v Rooney: A Courtroom Drama, performing alongside Michael Sheen and Natalia Tena. In 2024, she appeared as Tammy in the Guy Ritchie Netflix series The Gentlemen, featuring alongside Theo James and Daniel Ings.