Kara Tointon

Kara Louise Tointon (born 5 August 1983) is an English actress, best known for playing Dawn Swann in BBC soap opera EastEnders and as the 2010 winner of BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing.

Early life

Tointon was born to Ken and Carol in Basildon, Essex. Together with her actress sister, Hannah (born 1987), Tointon was brought up in Leigh-on-Sea. Both sisters attended St Michael's School, Leigh, and St Hilda's School, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. Tointon was diagnosed with dyslexia at age seven. She had speech and drama lessons at school. For about one year when she was a teenager, she dated James Bourne of the bands Busted, Son of Dork, and McBusted.

Career

Early work

Tointon's first professional acting experience came when she played the part of Brigitta in The Sound of Music at the Cliffs Pavilion. Her first appearance on television was as an extra in EastEnders in 1994, when she played a school friend of Sonia Fowler. She played the part of student Pauline Young in 2001's first series of Teachers on Channel 4. She also starred in BBC's "Curriculum Bites" as a presenter in 2002.