Gemma Whelan

Gemma Elizabeth Whelan was born in Leeds in 1981 and grew up in the Midlands. She attended The King's High School for Girls in Warwick and the London Studio Centre. She was hospitalised for anorexia nervosa as a teenager. She regards her recovery from the illness as her greatest achievement, and says that the experience has shaped her personality and how she approaches things. == Career ==

, 2013 As a stand-up comedian, Whelan won the 2010 Funny Women Variety Award. She performed at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe with her show Chastity Butterworth & The Spanish Hamster. In 2014, she recorded a pilot chat show as her character Chastity Butterworth for BBC Radio 4, which was in development in October 2015. She also featured in other shows as this character. On screen, she has played supporting roles in several films and TV shows, including in the 2010 films ''Gulliver's Travels'' She played Kate (appearing in all 18 main episodes, as well as three Christmas specials) in Ben Elton's BBC Two comedy Upstart Crow, and appeared as a recurring cast member from the second season onward. In 2017, she portrayed Karen Matthews in the two-part TV drama The Moorside, In February 2020, a stage adaptation of Upstart Crow opened at the Gielgud Theatre, London, Whelan reprising the role of Kate. Whelan returned to the West End stage as Kate when the play was revived at the Apollo Theatre in 2022. Whelan appears as DCI Kerry Henderson in the police drama series, DI Ray, written by Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio, to series 2 in 2024. == Personal life ==

Whelan lives in London with her husband, the comedian and actor Gerry Howell, and their two children. == Filmography ==

Film Television Stage Video games Audio == Awards and nominations ==