Emma Rigby — Biography
Born on September 26, 1989, in St Helens, Merseyside, England, Emma Catherine Rigby is an actress whose career gained significant early momentum with her role as Hannah Ashworth in the popular soap opera Hollyoaks. Though she attended De La Salle High School in her hometown, Rigby departed in 2006 to embark on her acting journey. Initially, her representation was handled by the Lamont Casting Agency in Liverpool until 2008, after which she transitioned to the London-based PR and marketing firm Octagon. Within her professional circle, Rigby maintains friendships with several of her Hollyoaks castmates, including Loui Batley, Jessica Fox, and Chris Fountain, as well as former colleagues Roxanne McKee and Carla Chases.
In 2008, Rigby expanded her television presence by stepping into a presenting role for The Race Against Cancer, a program that documented an international motorsport event featuring prominent figures from the racing world. This program first aired across European television in June of that year. Earlier, in 2007, at the age of seventeen, Rigby received a nomination for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards, a recognition that narrowly missed the eligibility criteria for Best Dramatic Performance For A Young Actor/Actress by just one year. She also garnered a nomination for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards.
The following year, Rigby achieved a significant win, taking home the British Soap Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for Best Dramatic Performance, though this award ultimately went to Jo Joyner. Rigby’s portrayal of Hannah Ashworth’s struggle with anorexia was met with considerable acclaim. The Daily Mail’s television critic, Jaci Stephen, noted in her November 24, 2007 column that the Hollyoaks storyline concerning anorexia had been more instructive to her than any other drama or documentary on the subject, admitting that certain scenes featuring Hannah had deeply moved her. This powerful storyline also earned Rigby a win at the annual Hollyoaks awards for Best Storyline, triumphing over other notable plots such as John Paul and Craig's affair, the 'Who pushed Clare?' narrative, and Kris and Jess's relationship. At the All About Soap Bubble awards in April 2008, Rigby was honored with the 'I'm a Survivor - Bravest soul in soap' award.
Despite an earlier announcement that she was scheduled to depart Hollyoaks in June 2009, Rigby extended her contract by an additional six months. However, sources close to her indicated that she still intended to leave the show after October 2009. More recently, from 2013 to 2014, Rigby held a main cast position as Anastasia Tremaine, also known as The Red Queen, in the ABC series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spin-
In 2008, Rigby expanded her television presence by stepping into a presenting role for The Race Against Cancer, a program that documented an international motorsport event featuring prominent figures from the racing world. This program first aired across European television in June of that year. Earlier, in 2007, at the age of seventeen, Rigby received a nomination for Best Actress at the British Soap Awards, a recognition that narrowly missed the eligibility criteria for Best Dramatic Performance For A Young Actor/Actress by just one year. She also garnered a nomination for Most Popular Actress at the National Television Awards.
The following year, Rigby achieved a significant win, taking home the British Soap Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for Best Dramatic Performance, though this award ultimately went to Jo Joyner. Rigby’s portrayal of Hannah Ashworth’s struggle with anorexia was met with considerable acclaim. The Daily Mail’s television critic, Jaci Stephen, noted in her November 24, 2007 column that the Hollyoaks storyline concerning anorexia had been more instructive to her than any other drama or documentary on the subject, admitting that certain scenes featuring Hannah had deeply moved her. This powerful storyline also earned Rigby a win at the annual Hollyoaks awards for Best Storyline, triumphing over other notable plots such as John Paul and Craig's affair, the 'Who pushed Clare?' narrative, and Kris and Jess's relationship. At the All About Soap Bubble awards in April 2008, Rigby was honored with the 'I'm a Survivor - Bravest soul in soap' award.
Despite an earlier announcement that she was scheduled to depart Hollyoaks in June 2009, Rigby extended her contract by an additional six months. However, sources close to her indicated that she still intended to leave the show after October 2009. More recently, from 2013 to 2014, Rigby held a main cast position as Anastasia Tremaine, also known as The Red Queen, in the ABC series Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, a spin-
