Simone Lahbib

Biography

Simone Nicole Jean Lahbib Ould Cheikl is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles as Helen Stewart in the ITV drama series Bad Girls, DCI Alex Fielding in the ITV crime series Wire in the Blood and Katy Lewis in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Lahbib was born in Stirling to a Scottish poet and artist mother and a French-Algerian chef father. Lahbib trained in Drama at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. She then commenced her on-screen career in 1985 when she was cast in The Girl in the Picture, a film set in Glasgow directed by Cary Parker. She also sang on the soundtrack.

Lahbib has worked extensively in television and film, after starting her career predominantly in theatre. Following guest appearances on well-known television dramas such as Taggart and Dangerfield, she received her first leading role when she was cast in the ITV daytime drama London Bridge as Mary O’Connor, from 1996 to 1997. Her next role in 1997 was in the third and final series of police drama Thief Takers where she met her future husband, Raffaello Degruttola. This was followed by her appearance in the 6-part comedy series The Young Person’s Guide to Becoming a Rock Star in 1998. In 1999, Lahbib became widely recognized for her leading role in the cult British prison drama series Bad Girls, in which she played Helen Stewart.

Lahbib married British-Italian actor Raffaello Degruttola on 10 May 2003 in her hometown of Stirling, Scotland. In October 2005, she gave birth to their daughter, Skye Lucia Degruttola, who also became an actress.