Claire Sweeney
| Claire Sweeney | |
|---|---|
Sweeney in 2009
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| Born |
Claire Jane Sweeney 17 April 1971 Walton, Liverpool, England |
| Occupation | Actress, television presenter, singer |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Partner(s) | Tony Hibbard (2001–07) Daniel Riley (2013-15) |
| Children | 1 |
Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer and television personality, best known for playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside and her appearance on the first series of the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother.
Sweeney was born in Walton, Liverpool, Merseyside, the daughter of a butcher who had a shop in Toxteth. She trained at the Elliott-Clarke Theatre School in Liverpool, and worked on the weekends in her father's shop.
Her first singing gig, at the age of 14, was in the Montrose Club in Liverpool for which she was paid £25. She was then educated full-time at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. In 1987, she was a member of the Southport Summer Youth Theatre Workshop's production of the musical Hair. Following this production, she auditioned for a part in the Southport Arts Centre's Centre Stage Company production of Chicago but was turned down because she was considered too young; she later starred in a West End version of the same show.
After leaving stage school, Sweeney had many singing engagements before landing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in Brookside in 1989. She entertained cruise ships for P&O as a singer for four years before returning to Britain. On her return, Sweeney reprised her role of Lindsey and remained on the show as a leading character until its demise in 2003.
Sweeney appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2001 in aid of Comic Relief, where she met Anthea Turner who has become a close friend. Her appearance on the show prompted her to greater fame amongst the British public. This directly led to appearing as 'Roxie Hart' in the musical Chicago in London. In 2002, Sweeney released an album, Claire on Telstar Records. This consisted of a mix of original material and cover versions of well-known songs, which peaked at No. 15 in the UK Albums Chart in July 2002. Also in 2001, she appeared on Lily Savage's Blankety Blank. In 2003, Sweeney returned to the stage to lead in the world tour of Fosse.
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