All Creatures Great and Small's Rachel Shenton has recently wrapped season four of the Channel 5 period drama, but the star, who plays Helen Alderson, will reprise her role very soon for the Christmas special.
Although Rachel has been enjoying huge success in her acting career, including winning an Academy Award in 2018 alongside her director husband, the star has endured a heartbreaking loss in her personal life when her father passed away from cancer when she was a teenager.
The 35-year-old appeared on an episode of Lorraine back in 2021 to discuss her Oscar-winning short film, The Silent Child, which follows a six-year-old deaf girl who lives a silent life before meeting a kind social worker, when she spoke about how the film touched upon her family's experience.
The TV presenter asked Rachel about her late father, who lost his hearing as a result of chemotherapy treatment, and how that experience shaped the film's creation.
"My dad had throat cancer and it was diagnosed quite late and he had huge doses of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and one of the side effects was losing his hearing completely, almost overnight."
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© Channel 5She continued: "So I saw what a massive impact that has on the family. I was always doing plays and going off and doing things at school and drama, and he was no longer able to watch those things. I guess it's the things you take for granted that become difficult." Rachel was 14 when her father, Geoff, passed away.
Meanwhile, Rachel is very close with her mum, and she even had an important role in funding their powerful film. Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Rachel explained how there was little money in the short film industry and that her mum had put on a cake sale to raise the money needed for The Silent Child.
© Rachel Shenton/Instagram"The passion that I have for this subject, that I've always had for this subject, I think really fuelled it at times when it was difficult because short films are notoriously difficult. There's no money involved and it was a real team effort to get it made," she explained.
Rachel rose to fame when she landed the role of Anne 'Mitzeee' Minniver in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. Prior to that, she had parts in shows such as Holby City, Doctors and Waterloo Road. Since appearing in Hollyoaks, her credits include Blood and Bone China, The Silent Child, as mentioned, and White Gold.
© Channel 5But presently, Rachel is adored for playing Helen Alderson in All Creatures Great and Small, the on-screen love interest of James Herriot, portrayed by Nicholas Ralph. Meanwhile, her husband in real life is no stranger to acting.
The star is married to Chris Overton, 34, who has credits in DCI Banks, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and more. The pair wed in 2018 after meeting in 2010 and even enjoyed a joint celebration when their film was nominated for an Oscar. The couple flew out to Los Angeles to attend the 2018 Academy Awards where they named winners of the Oscar for Live Action Short Film.
