Belinda Owusu became a household name in 2006 when she joined EastEnders as Libby Fox, the geeky daughter of Denise Fox. After four years on Albert Square Libby left for Oxford University, although the studious character popped back to her mum's house a few times between 2014 and 2017.
After leaving Walford behind, the actress wowed fans with her portrayal of super-talented doctor Nicky McKendrick in BBC medical drama Holby City. She starred in the drama for nearly five years until the show was axed by the BBC, with filming ending in December 2021 for the cast and the last episode being shown on screen on March 29, 2022.
But what else do we know about Belinda Owusu? Here are several things you probably don't know...
Belinda Owusu was only 16 when she joined the cast of EastEnders
Belinda joined the Anna Fiorentini Theatre and Film School after winning a sponsorship for her place, which then helped her land her role as Libby Fox in EastEnders. She played the role between 2006 and 2010, but has revisited Albert Square since then in 2014 and 2017.
Belinda Owusu is a campaigner against knife crime after losing her brother
Belinda's world was shattered back in 2016 when her younger brother Ziggy Worrell-Owusu was murdered during a row at a shisha club in London. Belinda has often spoken out about her brother's death, calling for his killer to come forward. At the time she told the press: "We have a big family and everyone is changed. We just want to know what happened and why it happened so we can have some closure."
She loved working on Holby because of her costume
Belinda admitted to express.co.uk that she loved working on Holby because her characters, Nicky, spends most of her time wearing scrubs, which are like pyjamas. The actress revealed: "They are basically like baggy pyjamas and so it is a joy to go to work and pop them on. Nothing is more comfortable! I also never get bored because each speciality has a different colour, so I regularly wear them in navy, plum and turquoise!"
She appeared on the gameshow The Weakest Link
In 2008 Belinda joined some of the other EastEnders cast members on gameshow The Weakest Link for charity. She ended up being the fourth contestant to be voted off.
She didn't buy her first dress until she was in EastEnders
Belinda has confessed that when she was invited to her first British Soap Awards she'd never worn a dress or make up before. She told express.co.uk: "I went to Debenhams and asked one of the Lancome consultants to make me up, then I bought all the make up she recommended. My dress was like a bridesmaid's style in black with a cream lining. I teamed it with my first ever pair of kitten heels from Clarks."
She is a fan of Shakespeare
Belinda worked her acting socks off when she appeared at the Nuffield Theatre in 2011 playing Desdemona in William Shakespeare's Othello.
She owns more than 100 pair of shoes
Belinda has admitted that she is a fan of shoes and has 100 pairs in total. She also loves a handbag and has about 30 in her wardrobe, but would never spend lots of money on designer clothes and accessories because she is worried she'd ruin them.
She announced she was pregnant on Instagram
Belinda shocked fans by announcing she was expecting her first child on social media when she was already 40 weeks pregnant! The actress managed to keep her pregnancy under wraps for a whole nine months and, in life imitating art, her character Nicky on Holby was also expecting a baby.
After returning from maternity leave to film her final scenes as Nicky, Belinda brought her own baby in to play her character's little one Juliet.
She told us: "It worked out pretty well filming with my daughter. With all the pandemic precautions I’m the only person that's allowed to hold her. If it had been a stranger baby it would have been hard to write a lot of the scenes. We didn't have to worry about the two metre distance. And it was awesome to have her there and share that with her."
She will miss her Holby colleagues
Fans of Holby are devastated that the show is no more, but Belinda posted an upbeat message on her Instagram account thanking her cast mates and the fans who have enjoyed it over the years.
She said: "I cannot believe my luck. I love Holby City. I love my little Nicky. I love each and every one of you crazy talented lot I’ve been lucky enough to work with. My goodness I’ll miss it all. Thank you Holby for having me. Biggest thank you to our wonderful audience for staying with us."
We will miss you Holby but we are excited to see what Belinda and her fellow fictional medics do next!
Belinda Owusu's fact file
Frequently asked questions about the actor…
How old is Belinda Owusu?
Belinda Owusu is 32. She was born on 19th April 1989.
Is Belinda Owusu married?
Belinda has been with her partner, Michael Mackin for 10 years.
Does Belinda Owusu have children?
Belinda Owusu has one daughter who was born in April 2021.
Where was Belinda Owusu born?
Belinda Owusu was born in Hackney, London.
Twitter: @therealowusu
Instagram: @immab
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
Main picture credit: Getty
