Joanna Page

Joanna Louise Page is a Welsh actress and presenter, known for portraying Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning television series Gavin & Stacey.^[1] She played Dora Spenlow in the 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield, and featured as Just Judy in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually. She also co-presented (with Melanie Sykes) the BBC One consumer series Shop Well for Less. In 2023, Page joined Loose Women as a regular panellist.

Joanna Page
Born	Joanna Louise Page Treboeth, Swansea, Wales
Occupations	Actress presenter
Years active	1999–present
Spouse	James Thornton ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	4

Early life

Page was born in Treboeth, Swansea, Wales.^[2] She attended Mynyddbach Comprehensive School, where she was head girl. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1998.^[3]

Career

On graduation from RADA, Page spent ten years in stage-based roles, mainly costume dramas for the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. This led to appearances in film productions, including From Hell, Mine All Mine, Love Actually and Miss Julie.^{[citation needed]}

Page came to wider public attention after taking a leading role in the BBC comedy Gavin & Stacey, playing the main part of Stacey Shipman. She appeared in the show's three series between 2007 and 2010, before returning for a Christmas special in 2019. In May 2024 it was announced that a final episode of the show, to be broadcast on Christmas Day 2024, had been written.^[4]

Page had a leading role in the 2001 BBC drama production The Cazalets, about a disparate, well-to-do English family during the Second World War. In 2009, Page provided the voice-overs for a series of Kingsmill bread TV and radio advertisements and the Christmas TV advertising campaign for the Carphone Warehouse. In December 2009, she was the cover star of FHM.^[5] During Christmas 2009, Page played the role of Cinderella in pantomime in Woking, a role she played a year earlier in Wimbledon. The following year, she played the role of Alice Fitzwarren in Dick Whittington at the Milton Keynes Theatre. ^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, she hosted Sky 1 show My Pet Shame. In October of the same year, she became the new face of Superdrug.^[6]

From May 2011, Page provided the voice of the lead character in the first season of Nick Jr. Channel UK's pre-school animation Poppy Cat, later replaced by Jessica Ransom from ITV's Doc Martin. In 2012, Page played Leanne Powell in the BBC One drama series The Syndicate, Helen Pearson in the Sky Living comedy Gates, and Mrs Peterson in Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger. In November 2013, Page starred as Queen Elizabeth I in "The Day of the Doctor", the 50th Anniversary episode of Doctor Who.^[7]

In 2021, Page began presenting BBC One's consumer series Shop Well for Less.^[8] At the end of 2021 she began co-hosting the show The Pet Show on ITV with Dermot O'Leary.^[9] In 2022, she appeared on the second series of The Masked Dancer as Pig. In 2023 she filmed the BBC television feature Men Up, about the first clinical trials for the drug Viagra that took place in Swansea in 1994.^[10]

In 2023, Page began appearing as a regular panellist on the ITV talk show Loose Women.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Page is married to English actor James Thornton.^[11] They both appeared in the 1999 TV serial David Copperfield (Page as Dora Spenlow and Thornton as Ham Peggotty). Page and Thornton have four children.^[12]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role
1999	Miss Julie	Servant
	David Copperfield	Dora Spenlow
2001	Very Annie Mary	Bethan Bevan
	From Hell	Ann Crook
	The Lost World	Gladys
2003	Love Actually	Just Judy
	Ready When You Are, Mr. McGill	Babs Carter
2012	Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger	Mrs. Peterson
2020	Dolittle	Bethan Stubbins
	Dream Horse	Angela Davies

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	The Cazalets	Zoe
2004	Mine All Mine	Candy Vivaldi
	Making Waves	OM Rosie Bowen
2005	To the Ends of the Earth	Marion Chumley	TV miniseries
	Gideon's Daughter	Diane
2007–2010, 2019, 2024	Gavin & Stacey	Stacey Shipman	Lead role, 22 episodes
2008	Love Soup	Heather	Series 2, episode 10
2009	Jack Osbourne: Celebrity Adrenaline Junkie	Herself	Series 5, episode 3
	Mist: Sheepdog Tales	Fly	Series 3, 6 episodes, Voice only
2010	Would I Lie to You?	Herself
	Agatha Christie's Marple	Hester	"The Blue Geranium"
	My Pet Shame	Host
2011	Bedlam	Maria
	White Van Man	Kat	Series 1, episode 2
	Poppy Cat	Poppy Cat	Series 1, Voice only
2012	The Syndicate	Leanne Powell
	Gates	Helen Pearson
2013	Doctor Who	Queen Elizabeth I	Episode: "The Day of the Doctor"
	Breathless	Lily Enderbury
2013–present	Q Pootle 5	Oopsy	Voice only
2016	Home from Home	Fiona Hackett	Pilot episode only
2017	Spring Break with Granddad	Voice Over	Voice only
2019	Britain's Parking Hell: Ticket Wars	Narrator	Voice only
	Midsomer Murders	Holly Ackroyd	Episode: "The Miniature Murders"
	Dial M for Middlesbrough	Susan
2021–present	Shop Well For Less	Presenter
	The Pet Show	Co Presenter
2022	The Masked Dancer	Pig
	Dog Squad	Tinks	Three episodes (voice)
2023	Cooking With The Stars	Herself/contestant
	Men Up	Moira Davies	Television film
2023–2024	Loose Women	Regular panellist
2025	Joanna Page's Wild Life	Presenter	15 episodes
	Wynne & Joanna: All at Sea	Herself	6-part series with Wynne Evans

Theatre

Year	Title	Role
2008	Fat Pig	Jeannie
2009	Cinderella	Cinderella
2010	Dick Whittington	Alice Fritzwarren
2011	Private Lives	Sibyl

Radio advertisements

Year	Title	Role
2009	Kingsmill advert	Narrator
	Carphone Warehouse advert
2011	Superdrug advert
2012	Sun Bingo advert
2020	Dreams advert

Recognition

Page was nominated for 'Best Female Comedy Newcomer' at the 2007 British Comedy Awards.^[13]