Jessica Forrest

Jessica Forrest (born 1990) is a British actress and writer. Raised in Colne, Lancashire, Forrest studied drama at Manchester University, but found the course impractical and in 2010 left to play Leanne Holiday in the British soap opera Hollyoaks. Forrest remained in the role until 2013, when her character was killed-off. Following her departure, Forrest guest-starred in Playhouse Presents, Coronation Street and Dani's Castle, and she portrayed a main role in the third season of Dani's Castle. In 2016 and 2018, Forrest portrayed Jasmine in the theatre production Chip Shop Chips, and she co-wrote and performed in The Trolley Girls at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Forrest later moved to Italy and launched a project teaching children English through song and animation, and in 2022 she performed her autobiographical one-woman show The Olive Tree.

Early life Jessica Forrest was born in 1990 Forrest enjoyed theatre from a young age, pursuing acting in school and joining her local dramatic society. Forrest had wanted to act but felt that she had no proper experience. Forrest's casting was announced alongside Sikander Malik as Jamil Fadel and PJ Brennan as Doug Carter. Forrest initially commuted from Manchester to work, but she later moved to Liverpool, where the soap is filmed. Forrest had filmed her exit scenes in August 2013 over 12-hour days, and had already filmed another project by the time her departure aired. In 2015, Forrest portrayed leading character Clare in the third season of Dani's Castle (also known as Rich, Jimmy & Kait's Castle). Whilst filming Dani's Castle, Forrest stayed in a Holiday Inn hotel in Belfast for 10 weeks. Chip Shop Chips was Forrest's theatre debut. Forrest added that she used her experiences as inspiration for "new material". Forrest also began to do stand-up comedy, which she enjoyed.

In roughly 2021, Forrest moved to Foligno, Italy. In 2022, Forrest returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and performed her one-woman show called The Olive Tree, a memoir based on her experiences as an actress and nanny and her journey from Manchester to Italy. The show ran from 15–20 August and featured Forrest performing on stage underneath an olive tree branch.

Acting credits

Filmography Year Title Role Notes 2010 Hollyoaks: Freshers Leanne Holiday Online spin-off (6 episodes) 2010–13 Hollyoaks Leanne Holiday Regular role 2012 Hollyoaks: Chasing Rainbows Leanne Holiday Hollyoaks spinoff 2014 Playhouse Presents Charlotte 1 episode (The Cruise) 2014 Coronation Street Siobhan Davies Guest role (1 episode) 2015 Dani's Castle Clare Main role (Season 3) 2019 Don't You Know Who I Am? Bev Pilot episode 2024 Brassic Gilly Guest appearance

Theatre Year Production Venue Role Notes 2016, 2018 Chip Shop Chips Various Jasmine 2016 The Trolley Girls Edinburgh Fringe Festival Also co-writer 2022 The Olive Tree Edinburgh Fringe Festival Herself Also writer and director Sources: