Zaraah Abrahams

Zaraah Abrahams
Born	(1987-01-07) January 7, 1987 Lambeth, London, England
Occupation(s)	Actress, voiceover professional
Years active	2003–present
Known for	Magda in Girls in Love, Michaela White in Waterloo Road, Joanne Jackson in Coronation Street, Chelsea Fox in EastEnders

Zaraah Clover Abrahams (born 7 January 1987) is a British actress and voiceover professional, best known for portraying characters such as Magda in Girls in Love (2003–2005), Michaela White in BBC's Waterloo Road (2008–2010), Joanne Jackson in ITV's Coronation Street (2005–2007), and Chelsea Fox in BBC's EastEnders (2020–present). She has also taken part in ITV's Dancing on Ice during the years 2008 and 2014.

Early life

Abrahams was born in Lambeth, London. Her heritage includes Iraqi and Barbadian roots from her mother's lineage and Jamaican ancestry from her father's side. Growing up in Brixton, she is the oldest among three siblings. While attending the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, she landed the role of Magda in Girls in Love. At age 17, after being cast as Joanne Jackson on Coronation Street, she moved to Manchester to advance her acting career.

Career

Abrahams first gained prominence with her roles as Magda in CITV’s Girls in Love and Joanne Jackson on ITV’s Coronation Street. In 2008, she became part of the BBC drama Waterloo Road playing student Michaela White, initially appearing during series 3 and then as a principal cast member through series 4 and 5 until 2010. Her performance in the HBO short film Black Girl in Paris (2013) attracted director Spike Lee’s attention, who subsequently cast her as the lead character Ganja Hightower in his Hollywood debut feature, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014). In 2015, Abrahams relocated to New York City to film the Cinemax medical drama The Knick, where she portrayed Opal.

Her involvement with ITV’s celebrity skating contest Dancing on Ice began in 2008 when she joined as a replacement contestant; paired with Fred Palascak, they secured third place. In October 2020, it was revealed that Abrahams would take on the role of Chelsea Fox in BBC’s flagship soap opera EastEnders, making her first appearance on 25 December 2020.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003–2005	Girls in Love	Magda	Lead role
2005–2007	Coronation Street	Joanne Jackson	Appeared in 214 episodes
2008–2010	Waterloo Road	Michaela White	Recurring role (Series 3), Main cast (Series 4–5)
2008, 2014	Dancing on Ice	Herself	Contestant; finished third
2009	Hole in the Wall		Contestant
2011	Waterloo Road Reunited	Michaela White	Principal cast member (web series)
2012	Payback Season	Clarissa	Feature film
	Scott & Bailey	Daysha Kaye	Single episode appearance
	Bedlam	Laura	Episode titled "The Long Drop"
2013	Black Girl in Paris	Luce	Short film production
2013–2015	Secret Dealers	Narrator	Game show narrator (Series 4–5)
2014	Da Sweet Blood of Jesus	Ganja Hightower	Lead role in film
	Holby City	Alisa Cole	Episode: "Captive"
2015	The Knick	Opal Edwards	Main cast member (Season 2)
2020–present	EastEnders	Chelsea Fox	Regular character role
2021	The Bay	DS Emma Ryan	Appeared in two episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Outcome	Reference
2021	Inside Soap Awards	Best Newcomer	Template:Nom

Year	Award	Category	Outcome	Reference

Year	Award	Category	Outcome	Reference