At the age of 12, Danson made her television debut under the name Jane Dawson in the 1991
Alan Bleasdale series
GBH playing the part of Eileen Critchley. From 1995 to 1997, Danson played the role of Paula in the
ITV children's television drama ''
Children's Ward. In 1996, she also appeared in Out of Tune'', a British children's sitcom which was shown on CBBC. She also made an appearance in the first episode of the BBC's
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates which was aired in January 1996. In 1997, Danson landed parts in the
ITV period drama series
The Grand, in which she played the role of Monica Jones for seven episodes, and then in the top-rated
ITV soap opera
Coronation Street, playing teenager
Leanne Battersby. The Battersby family were dubbed the "Neighbours From Hell" and made an immediate impact on the long-running show's loyal audience. Danson left the show in 2000, not long after a harrowing storyline that saw her character become a
drug addict. Danson's next role was as Nurse Samantha Docherty in the drama series
Always and Everyone (also known as A&E) from 2001 to 2002. Danson then joined the cast of
ITV police drama
The Bill in 2002, portraying Gemma Osbourne, the first lesbian police officer in the show's history, who openly described herself as a "
gold star lesbian" and "
a 6 on the Kinsey Scale". Danson's stint in the role of Gemma Osbourne was short-lived, and she left
The Bill in 2003. In 2004, Danson rejoined the cast of
Coronation Street as Leanne. In early 2006, it was announced that Danson was pregnant and she left
Coronation Street at the end of July for maternity leave. She returned to filming in January 2007, making her first appearance back on screen two months later. In January 2007, Danson appeared in the second series of
Soapstar Superstar but was eliminated after the overnight vote on the second show. However, a subsequent investigation into malpractice on the part of
ITV in viewer voting revealed that while Danson and
Tupele Dorgu were both put forward for elimination at the end of the first episode, it had in fact been
Verity Rushworth and
Leon Lopez who scored lowest in the poll and should therefore have been the two options.
Television appearances Danson appeared on the first celebrity edition of
Stars in Their Eyes. Alongside four other actresses from
Coronation Street, they impersonated the
Spice Girls. In 2019, Danson took part in the
eleventh series of
Dancing on Ice alongside professional partner
Sylvain Longchambon. Following a skate-off against
Melody Thornton and
Ryan Sidebottom, Danson and Sidebottom were eliminated in Week 7. ==Personal life==