Emmerdale’s Gabby Thomas, played by actress Rosie Bentham, has been an integral character in the soap since 2001.
Gabby burst onto our screens as the daughter of Bernice Blackstock and the late vicar Ashley Thomas, and has since been involved in plenty of explosive storylines.
Currently, the pregnant Gabby is engaged in a fiery battle of wits with the father of her unborn child, Jamie Tate, while coping with the death of her best friend Leanna Cavanagh and the return of Bernice to the Dales.
But Rosie isn’t the first actress to step into Gabby’s iconic shoes, as she was originally played by Annelise Manojlovic from 2001 until 2015.
(Image: ITV)
Annelise was only two weeks old when she first took on the troublesome role.
She originally shared it with child actress Jemma Giles as a baby, but went on to take on the role full-time.
But what has happened to the young actress since leaving the show?
In the time leading up to her replacement, Gabby hadn’t been seen on-screen since December 2015, reappearing as Rosie in January 2016.
(Image: ITV)
And her new face wasn’t ever remarked upon by the other Soapland characters, other than by step-mum Laurel, who pointed out she was wearing rather heavy makeup – but it left fans shocked.
Annelise, who hails from Leeds, has been incredibly quiet about her life since leaving the show, and hasn’t taken up any acting roles.
It seems dancing has become her passion instead, according to talent website Mandy.
(Image: Unknown)
After the show, she went on to study for a Ballet Performance Bachelor of Arts degree at The School of Ballet Theatre UK.
The 19-year-old’s specific interests are listed as ballet, jazz and tap dancing – though it appears she also has skills in Pointe work.
Annelise also has specific singing skills listed on the site – suggesting there’s a definite possibility she could turn her hand to musicals as a triple threat in the next few years.
Her vocal skills are listed as a Mezzo-Soprano, and Legit – a term used in classical singing which implies freedom, flexibility and projection power of a voice.
Annelise is listed as being interested in working on cruise ships, holiday entertainment and in musical theatre.
Upon hearing the news that she’d scored the role as Gabby, Rosie Bentham admitted she was “jumping around in Boots”.
She remarked at the time: “I was out shopping with my mate when I found out I’d got the role. I was jumping around in Boots. It was amazing.
“I went up to Leeds four times because of call backs. I knew I was down to the last five but I wasn’t really expecting to get it. It was incredible when I found out.
“It’s a bit weird, but I had been watching Gabby before I started going up there to see what I could find out about her character,” she added.
For more of the latest showbiz news from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
