Niamh Blackshaw

Niamh Kate Blackshaw (born 19 November 1998) is an English actress. She made her television debut in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street (2017) as Lara Cutler. She then played Juliet Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks (2018–2023), for which she was nominated for Best Leading Performer at the 2023 British Soap Awards.

Niamh Blackshaw
Blackshaw in 2023
Born	Niamh Kate Blackshaw (1998-11-19) 19 November 1998 (age 26) Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
Education	Canon Slade School University of Oxford
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2017–present
Television	Coronation Street Hollyoaks Waterloo Road
Partner	Angus Castle-Doughty (2022–present)

Early and personal life

Niamh Kate Blackshaw was born on 19 November 1998 in Bolton, Greater Manchester.^[1] Prior to studying acting, Blackshaw trained as a dancer, and at the age of eleven, she began attending Rossendale Dance and Drama Centre, where she completed her LAMDA and Trinity exams.^[1][2] She also attended Canon Slade School in Bolton, where she studied Latin for her A-Level exams, amongst other subjects. Blackshaw was interested in attending Cambridge University full-time, until she pursued acting as a career.^[3] However, she later began studying at the University of Oxford part-time, alongside acting.^[4]

Blackshaw has Lyme disease.^[5] She has been in a relationship with actor Angus Castle-Doughty since 2022.^[6][7]

Career

Blackshaw began her acting career appearing in television advertisements, including an advert for Mr Kipling.^[2] In 2017, she appeared in five episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Lara Cutler.^[8][9] Her character committed suicide after being groomed by Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper) and his gang.^[10] In March 2018, she made an appearance in the short film Landline.^[11] On 4 September 2018, it was announced that she would be joining the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks as Juliet Nightingale, and she made her first appearance on 21 November 2018.^[12] Her storylines in the soap included discovering her father is Mac Nightingale (David Easter),^[13] being groomed into a county lines drug trafficking gang,^[14] coming out as a lesbian^[15] and developing a romance with Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell).^[16] For her portrayal of Juliet, she has been nominated for Best Newcomer at the Inside Soap Awards and two nominations for Best Partnership alongside Lysette Anthony and O'Donnell,^[17] as well as being nominated for Best Leading Performer at the 2023 British Soap Awards.^[18]

After a cancer storyline was devised for her character, it was announced that Blackshaw would be leaving her role as Juliet in 2023, after five years on Hollyoaks.^[19] Following her exit, she appeared in the BBC drama The Jetty, as well as being cast in the upcoming series of Waterloo Road.^[20]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2017	Coronation Street	Lara Cutler	5 episodes
2018	Landline	Daughter	Short film
2018–2023	Hollyoaks	Juliet Nightingale	Regular role
2023	SnapCatch	Holly	Short film
2024	The Jetty	Rosie	2 episodes
2025	Waterloo Road	TBA	Upcoming role

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2019	Inside Soap Awards	Best Newcomer	Nominated	[21]
	Inside Soap Awards	Best Partnership (with Lysette Anthony)	Nominated	[21]
2021	I Talk Telly Awards	Best Soap Partnership (with Ruby O'Donnell)	Nominated	[17]
2023	The British Soap Awards	Best Leading Performer	Nominated	[18]
	National Television Awards	Serial Drama Performance	Nominated	[22]
	Inside Soap Awards	Best Partnership (with O'Donnell)	Nominated	[23]

References

1. "The Same Interview, A Year On With Niamh Blackshaw | Hollyoaks". YouTube. 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
2. "Success at RDDC". Rossendale Dance and Drama Centre. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
3. "The Head Teacher's Newsletter – October 2015". Canon Slade School. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
4. Dainty, Sophie (7 June 2023). "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw explains exit from Juliet role". Digital Spy. (Hearst Communications). Retrieved 7 June 2023.
5. Blackshaw, Niamh (16 April 2020). "If the ticks take over, we really don't stand a chance #fyp #foryou #fy #lymedisease". TikTok. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
6. Chase, Stephanie (19 May 2023). "Real-life Hollyoaks couple share loved-up picture from romantic Greek holiday". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
7. Haasler, Sue (2 January 2023). "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw confirms she is dating co-star". Metro. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
8. "Coronation Street's tragic suicide victim revealed to be Lara Cutler". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
9. "Hollyoaks casts Coronation Street actress Niamh Blackshaw as Romeo Quinn's sister". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
10. "Niamh Blackshaw joins Hollyoaks". Female First. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
11. "Cast & Crew – Landline". Landline. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
12. Hughes, Johnathon. "Hollyoaks: meet Romeo's sister – Juliet!". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
13. "Hollyoaks spoilers: The truth about Mac Nightingale exposed to Juliet Quinn". Metro. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
14. "Hollyoaks' Juliet Quinn in alarming new County Lines drugs plot twist". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
15. "Hollyoaks' Juliet Quinn faces new drugs trouble after confiding in Sid Sumner about her sexuality". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
16. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reveals details of Juliet and Peri kiss scene". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
17. Gonzalez, Elliot (14 November 2021). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2021 Nominations". I Talk Telly. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
18. Cormack, Morgan (11 April 2023). "British Soap Awards 2023 longlist: EastEnders' Ravi vs Corrie's Stephen". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
19. Patterson, Stephen (15 May 2023). "Hollyoaks confirms major character is going to die". Metro. (DMG Media). Retrieved 15 May 2023.
20. Percival, Ash. "Hollyoaks legend Niamh Blackshaw joins major TV show as career continues to fly". Metro. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
21. "Hollyoaks star Niamh Blackshaw reveals Juliet Quinn's comeuppance in bullying story". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
22. Mata, William (23 May 2023). "National Television Awards 2023: Full list of nominations and how to vote". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
23. "The Inside Soap Awards 2023 - cast your vote now!". Inside Soap. 4–10 July 2023.

External links

• Niamh Blackshaw at IMDb