Hill was educated at
Monkwearmouth School in
Sunderland before attending the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she won the Vanbrugh award. Hill replaced
Gilly Coman in the role of Aveline in the last three series of
Carla Lane's
BBC television sitcom
Bread. She has also appeared in such programmes as
The Bill playing Marie Carver (née Graham),
Auf Wiedersehen, Pet playing Hazel Redfern,
Hot Money playing Liz Hoodless,
Juliet Bravo playing Jean Simpson,
Emmerdale playing
Avril Kent and
Cape Wrath playing Brenda Ogilvie. On 17 March 2009, she was featured in an episode of
Holby City, a medical drama broadcast weekly on
BBC1 in the United Kingdom. She appeared in subsequent episodes, following a story arc relating to the death of her on-screen husband. She also appeared in an episode of
The Thick of It (series 3 episode 3). In April 2011, she appeared in the BBC television comedy drama series
Candy Cabs and in November, in the fantasy series
Merlin as Mary Howden. In April that year she appeared as Cissie Charlton, mother of footballers
Jack and
Bobby Charlton, in the BBC drama
United, about the 1958
Munich air disaster involving
Manchester United. In 2012, she made her debut in long-running school drama
Waterloo Road as
Maggie. In August 2013, it was announced that Hill had joined the cast of the BBC Two sitcom
Hebburn. The next year she joined the Craig Cash sitcom
After Hours. In February 2015, it was announced that Hill would join the cast of
Coronation Street as
Cathy Matthews, and she made her first appearance on 20 April 2015. She was introduced as a potential love interest for
Roy Cropper (
David Neilson). Hill was nervous about the role as Roy's deceased wife,
Hayley (
Julie Hesmondhalgh), was loved by the nation. Hill also starred in the third series of
The Syndicate in June 2015. In October 2023, it was announced that Hill would join the cast of the BBC medical drama series
Casualty as
Siobhan McKenzie, a clinical nurse manager. Her first appearance aired on 24 February 2024. Hill's feature film roles include Sandra in
Brassed Off (1996), the witch Ditchwater Sal in the fantasy film
Stardust (2007), and Sonya in
White Girl (2008)
. == Personal life ==