Antonia Okonma

Antonia Okonma (born 24 July 1982) is a British actress. She is best known for playing the role of Darlene Cake in the ITV series Bad Girls from 2004 to 2006.

Early life and education Antonia Okonma was born and raised in London. She was born into a Nigerian Igbo family. Okonma has Degrees in Accounting and Finance. She trained with the Royal's Court Young People's Theatre for 2years.

Career In 2003, Okonma was cast in role of Darlene Cake in the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls, first appearing in the sixth series, which broadcast in 2004. The character of Darlene Cake was of Jamaican origin, which required Okonma to speak with a Jamaican accent. She appeared in the sixth, seventh and eighth series, making her final appearance in the penultimate episode in 2006, when Darlene attempts suicide by setting herself on fire. Although, she is seen to have survived, her fate is left unknown and was not explained in the final episode. Following the conclusion of the sixth series, a behind-the-scenes special, titled Bad Girls: Most Wanted, was broadcast on ITV2 and ranked the top 10 greatest characters as voted for by viewers; Darlene Cake was voted at fourth place. In 2004, Okonma won a Gathering of Africa's Best (GAB) award for Best Newcomer and a Screen Nation award for Best Emerging Talent for her work in Bad Girls.

Following her role on Bad Girls''', Okonma received roles in the British feature films Screaming Blue Murder and Rabbit Fever, and a minor role on the BBC miniseries Moses Jones in 2009.

On stage, Okonma has acted at the Royal Court and the Riverside Studios. She starred in Torn at the Arcola Theatre alongside Brooke Kinsella and Jocelyn Jee Esien. She is currently playing the title role in the production of Iya Ile (The First Wife) at Soho Theatre.

Okonma has also taken part in the reality TV programmes Strictly African Dancing. She also performed as Tina Turner on celebrity Stars in Their Eyes. In late 2007, she was a contestant on the second series of Cirque de Celebrité'' on Sky One.

Personal life Okonma is married with three children.

Filmography + Acting Year Title Role Notes 2004 RUF 992m Aleysha Short film 2004–2006 Bad Girls Darlene Cake Series 6–8 (main role, 34 episodes) 2004 Bad Girls: Most Wanted Darlene Cake Documentary (archive footage) 2006 Screaming Blue Murder Flipbook Fillie #1 Feature film 2006 Rabbit Fever Rude Girl #1 Feature film 2009 Moses Jones Hairdresser Miniseries (guest role, 1 episode)

+ Self appearances Year Title Notes 2004 Trisha "Bad Girls"; episode dated 9 December 2004 2005 Celebrity Wrestling Series 1, episode 4; dated 14 May 2005 2005 GMTV Dated 31 May 2005 2005 Strictly Come Dancing "Strictly African Dancing"; special dated 9 July 2005 2005 National Television Awards Dated 25 October 2005 2005 The Brendan Courtney Show Series 1, episode 5; dated 7 December 2005 2006 An Audience with Joan Rivers Dated 14 January 2006 (audience member) 2006 An Audience with Shirley Bassey Dated 10 March 2006 (audience member) 2006 Stars in Their Eyes "Celebrity Special"; dated 8 April 2006 (as Tina Turner) 2006 The Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Live showing; dated 20 May 2006 2006 GMTV Dated 13 July 2006 2006 The Sharon Osbourne Show Series 1, episode 7; dated 6 September 2006 2006 Screen Nation Film and Television Awards Dated 22 October 2006 2006 National Television Awards Dated 31 October 2006 2006 Children in Need Dated 17 November 2006 (performer) 2007 Weakest Link "Goodies and Badies"; special dated 24 March 2007 2007 Through the Keyhole Dated 26 March 2007