Background and career
Patricia Jude Francis Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress, singer, and model. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit first gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Birds Eye frozen peas. She went on to appear in films such as The Great Gatsby (1974), Gold (1974), Hennessy (1975), The Blue Bird (1976) and Hanover Street (1979). In 1983, Kensit formed and became the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder, which released the top-20 hits "I'm Not Scared" and "Cross My Heart" before disbanding in 1989. Kensit achieved further success in her breakthrough role as Suzette in the musical film Absolute Beginners (1986) and as Rika van den Haas in Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) before starring in the films Twenty-One (1991), Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), Angels & Insects (1995) and Grace of My Heart (1996), and has since starred in a number of both big-budget and independent films. Following a return to television, between 2004 and 2006, and again between 2026 and 2027, Kensit plays the role of Sadie King in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale and then that of Faye Morton in the BBC One medical drama Holby City from 2007 to 2010, and again for an episode in 2019. Throughout 2023, she played Emma Harding in EastEnders. Kensit has been married to musicians Dan Donovan, Jim Kerr, Liam Gallagher, and Jeremy Healy. Kensit's personal life, particularly her high profile marriages to Kerr and Gallagher, has drawn considerable tabloid press and media attention, notably through the Cool Britannia cultural period. Kensit has been referred to as a cultural and style icon, and an it girl, of the 1990s. Kensit was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in Hanover Street (1979). In 1991, she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in Twenty-One (1991), and later had several nominations for her role in Emmerdale.
Patricia Jude Francis Kensit was born on 4 March 1968, at the General Lying-In Hospital, Lambeth, to James and Margaret Rose (née Doohan). Kensit's maternal grandparents hailed from County Leitrim, Ireland. She has an older brother, Jamie. Her mother was a secretary at Dior and former model, who had previously dated Aga Khan IV, while Kensit's father was a close associate of both the Kray Twins and the Richardson Gang, earning himself the nickname "Jimmy the Dip", and was involved in the Great Train Robbery. He served time in prison before Kensit was born and used a cover as an antiques dealer. Kensit's godfather was Reggie Kray. Her paternal grandfather was a robber and counterfeiter. Kensit recalled travelling to the Caribbean, Paris, and Marbella during her childhood with her father in attempts to evade capture by the police. When her father was jailed for a time in the late 1970s, Kensit and her brother were told to say that he was "working in South Africa". Kensit spent her childhood living on a council estate in Hounslow. She attended Newland House School, St Catherine's School, Twickenham, and then Corona Theatre School.
In 1972, at the age of four, Kensit appeared in a television advertisement for Birds Eye frozen peas. She also regularly appeared in newspaper advertisements modelling children's clothing. Kensit had her first big-screen role in the film For the Love of Ada. Her next film role was two years later in The Great Gatsby, with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, the latter of whom she portrayed in the 1995 biopic, Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story. Later in 1974, she played a missing child in an episode of Z-Cars, and had a small role in the thriller film Gold alongside Roger Moore and Susannah York. She then starred in Alfie Darling (1975) with Joan Collins, and Hennessy (1975) as the daughter of Rod Steiger's character. Following this, Kensit had a leading role in the 1976 Soviet-American co-production, The Blue Bird, and she struck up a friendship with actress and co-star Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor told the press about Kensit that "This little girl is going to be the biggest name in showbusiness". From 1977 to 1978, Kensit had a regular role in the drama series The Foundation, and in 1978 she appeared in five episodes of the Armchair Thriller serial Quiet as a Nun. She portrayed a young Oscar François de Jarjayes in the 1979 movie Lady Oscar, based on the Rose of Versailles by Riyoko Ikeda. In 1979, Kensit starred in the war-romance film Hanover Street, opposite Harrison Ford and Christopher Plummer. She was nominated for Young Artist Award for Best Juvenile Actress in a Motion Picture at the Young Artist Awards for her role in the film. By the early 1980s, Kensit had become a regular face on screen. She appeared in several television period dramas including The Legend of King Arthur, Prince Regent, and Penmarric, and in 1981, she starred as Estella in the BBC adaptation of Great Expectations. She then played the role of Lady Margaret Plantagenet in the 1982 BBC Television Shakespeare production of Richard III. In the same year, she starred as the title character in The Magical World of Disney television movie The Adventures of Pollyanna, and appeared in the music video for "Nobody's Fool" by Haircut One Hundred. In 1983, she starred as the leading character in the sci-fi TV series Luna.
By this time, Kensit had ventured into the Soho club scene with her older brother Jamie and socialised with stars such as George Michael, Sade, and Boy George; the thriving music scene and the exposure to the New Romantic era piqued Kensit's interest in music, and in 1983 she became a backing singer in Jamie's band Spice, which included Steve Grantley and Geoff Beauchamp. The band was later renamed Eighth Wonder and Kensit became the lead vocalist. Eighth Wonder began with moderate success and performed at various wine bars, pubs, and university venues, and Kensit began to also write songs for the band. Eighth Wonder's first single, "Stay with Me", was released in October 1985. Due to Kensit's involvement in the group, they achieved much publicity. Kensit pursued a dual career as a singer and an actress. In 1984, she played the title role in the drama series Diana and starred in the children's television play The Prattling Princess. In 1985, she starred in the film The Corsican Brothers. At this time she played the role of Eppie in an adaptation of Silas Marner, with Ben Kingsley.
In 1986, she won the lead female role in the film version of Absolute Beginners, based on the book by Colin MacInnes, after Stephen Woolley, co-owner of Palace Films, and director Julien Temple watched her perform with Eighth Wonder at the Queen Elizabeth College in Kensington. The group also contributed a song to the film; although the it did not perform particularly well, the film and the promotion surrounding it brought both Kensit and the group much media attention. Kensit and Eighth Wonder achieved particular success in Italy and Japan; a performance of their song "Will You Remember" at the Sanremo Music Festival in February 1987 resulted in a wardrobe malfunction for Kensit which boosted sales and sent the song to the Top 10 of that country. In November 1987, she sang a duet with the Italian singer and songwriter Eros Ramazzotti, entitled La luce buona delle stelle ("The Good Light of the Stars"). In 1988, Kensit and Eighth Wonder had two Top 40 singles. "I'm Not Scared", written by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe and produced by the Pet Shop Boys and Phil Harding (for PWL), which reached Number 7 in the British charts, and became the group's most successful single. The other Top 40 single, "Cross My Heart", reached Number 13. That year also saw Kensit have a role in the Italian film Don Bosco. Eighth Wonder's final charted song in the UK was the single "Baby Baby", whilst their final hit was "Use Me" which charted in Japan in 1989.
Although Eighth Wonder's success had waned by 1989, the group disbanded and Kensit focused solely on her acting career, appearing in the 1989 film Lethal Weapon 2 as Rika van den Haas, a South African consulate secretary with whom detective Martin Riggs, played by Mel Gibson, falls in love. Later that year, Kensit starred in the film A Chorus of Disapproval directed by Michael Winner, and in the television film Arms and the Man with Helena Bonham Carter. In 1990, she starred in Chicago Joe and the Showgirl with Kiefer Sutherland and the German film Kill Cruise, and made a cameo appearance in the comedy film Bullseye!, again directed by Winner. In 1991, Kensit had roles in the Italian action film Blue Tornado and the American sci-fi thriller Timebomb, before starring in Prince of Shadows opposite Terence Stamp. She had a leading role in the romantic comedy television film, Does This Mean We're Married? during which she sings the song "Rambo Doll". Kensit starred in the 1991 film Twenty-One, for which she received a nomination for Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. Of her role, Variety magazine wrote, "Fans of Kensit get plenty of her; her lovely face and form are always the center of attention. The cool control with which she executes the role is admirable". In 1992, she had a leading role in the British film Blame it on the Bellboy. In 1993, Kensit starred in the science-fiction film Full Eclipse, and in 1994 she had a main role opposite James Fox in the wartime drama miniseries Fall from Grace which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Normandy landings. In 1995, Kensit played Mia Farrow in the biopic Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story, and starred with Kristin Scott Thomas and Mark Rylance in Angels & Insects, which was directed by Philip Haas, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Costume Design. Later that year, she starred in the films At the Midnight Hour and Tunnel Vision. In 1996, Kensit had a main role in the musical Grace of My Heart. In 1998, Kensit, alongside Meg Mathews, provided backing vocals for the Oasis song "All Around the World". In 2000, she portrayed Angie Best in Best, a biopic of the footballer George Best. Kensit starred in an adaptation of Mary Higgins Clark's novel Loves Music, Loves to Dance (2001). In 2002, Kensit starred in the Newcastle-based The One and Only.
