Patsy Palmer

Patsy Palmer
Palmer at the funeral service for actress Wendy Richard
Born	Julie Anne Harris (1972-05-26) 26 May 1972 (age 44) Bethnal Green, London, England
Residence	Malibu Beach, California, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1983–present
Television	EastEnders (1993–2014) Strictly Come Dancing (2005)
Spouse(s)	Nick Love (m. 1998–2000) Richard Merkell (m. 2000)
Partner(s)	Alfie Rothwell (1991–1994)
Children	4
Family	Lindsey Coulson (Sister In-Law)

Patsy Palmer (born Julie Anne Harris; 26 May 1972 in Bethnal Green, London) is an English actress and model. Palmer made an early television appearance on the children's drama show Grange Hill, but is best known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. Originally in the cast from 1993–1999, she returned to EastEnders in April 2008 before leaving again in September 2014. She has also appeared in a number of TV dramas, and released an autobiography, All of Me, in 2007.

Patsy Palmer was born and grew up in Bethnal Green, East London. She attended Globe Primary School and then Haggerston Girls Secondary School.

She was brought up along with her two elder brothers, Albert and Harry, by her mother Pat. Her mother first spotted her acting talent and encouraged her to go to Anna Scher's famous acting school in London (where many other EastEnders stars such as Sid Owen, Gillian Taylforth, Susan Tully, Phil Daniels, Jake Wood, and Adam Woodyatt also trained). Palmer was bullied at school, and has said that acting was a form of escape.

At age six, she starred in a West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Upon enrolling at the Anna Scher Theatre school, and learning about an accomplished actress already with the name Julie Harris, Palmer adopted her current name by borrowing her mother's maiden name and changing her given name to a nickname of her mother's first name, Pat. Palmer made her screen debut in the television programme The Gentle Touch in 1984. Like many other EastEnders actors, Palmer appeared on the children's drama show Grange Hill in 1986 and 1987. She went on to have small roles in BBC's Tricky Business (1989), Making News (1990), Clarissa (1991), Love Hurts (1992), Drop the Dead Donkey (1993), and The Bill (1993), and she also appeared as an acne-ridden teenager in a Clearasil advert.