EastEnders’ Lola star Danielle Harold’s life off screen including Jamie Oliver connection

Fans of long-running soap EastEnders are bracing themself for a tragic goodbye to Danielle Harold’s character Lola Pearce.

The young mum, who first appeared on the show back in 2011, has recently been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour on the show and will eventually lose her battle.

This all means that actress Danielle Harold is also set to move on from the soap once again.

Danielle left the soap initially in 2015 but made a dramatic return to the show in 2019 when Lola sensationally attempted to con Phil Mitchell.

As fans bid farewell to the 30 year old actress, we take a look back at how she secured the part in the first place and what her life is like when she’s not on set.

Danielle was cast as Lola when she was just 18 years old and credits – of all people – TV chef Jamie Oliver for her acting success.

When Danielle was a teenager she appeared on Jamie’s Dream School, a reality show led by the chef that aimed to help under-qualified young people secure their dream jobs.

At the time, Danielle was working as a waitress – having left school with just one GCSE qualification.

Danielle’s difficulty at school stemmed from a tough childhood that she’s often compared to her character Lola’s rocky beginnings.

In 2013 the actress told The Mirror that she “didn’t grow up in a great area” and that a local boy had been stabbed to death a few streets away after running into the “wrong crowd” when Danielle was just 16 years old.

She said that the incident shaped her by making her realise the “dangers” she faced and helped her become a lot more “streetwise.”

And coming from the wrong side of the tracks wasn’t the only hurdle Danielle faced while trying to get a good education.

The now 30 year old was also diagnosed with a long term bladder illness when she was in Year Ten at school, which she says lead her to “give up” on studying for her GCSEs.

Danielle impressed on Jamie’s Dream School and secured scholarship money that allowed her to go to drama lessons, hire an agent and eventually secure her role on EastEnders.

Since rising to fame, Danielle has kept her romantic life a closely held secret, but has repeatedly been linked to her co-stars.

Danielle and younger co-star Bobby Brazier, 19, recently sparked speculation when they got cosy at the NTAs in October 2022.

At one point, Bobby put both hands on Danielle’s face as they left the awards, but neither have commented on the rumours.

The actress has also set tongues wagging about her close relationship with another co-star and her on-screen husband Jamie Borthwick.

Jamie, who plays Danielle’s on-screen husband Jay Brown, is good friends with Danielle and the two sparked speculation they had taken their relationshi p to the next level when Danielle posted a snap of them hanging out with the caption “my love."

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