Cathy Shipton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Catherine Ellen Shipton (1957-03-27)27 March 1957 (age 68) |
| Education | Rose Bruford College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Partner | Christopher Guard[1] |
| Children | 1 |
Catherine Ellen Shipton (born 27 March 1957)[1] is an English actress, known for portraying the role ofLisa "Duffy" Duffin in theBBC medical dramaCasualty. After leaving the series in 2020, she has since appeared in theChannel 4 soap operaHollyoaks asLydia Smith.
Born to Irish-English parents, Shipton was raised as a Roman Catholic, and was educated in aconvent in south London. She studied two languages and journalism, but her drama teacher told her that she had the potential to become an actress, and consequently she trained atRose Bruford College from 1977 to 1980.[1]
Shipton was originally considered for the role of receptionist Susie Mercier in theBBC medical dramaCasualty, but was eventually cast as nurseLisa "Duffy" Duffin in 1986, as part of the original cast.[2] She continued to star in the series until 1993, when she chose to leave. She later made a guest appearance in February 1998. Shipton returned as a regular cast member in September 1998, before leaving the series for a second time in 2003.[3] During her second stint on the show, she guest appeared inCasualty's spinoff seriesHolby City as Duffy.[4] Shipton reprised her role for two episodes in 2006 to celebrate the show's twentieth anniversary celebrations, as well as returning for two further episodes in 2015. In June 2016, it was announced that Shipton would guest appear in the show's thousandth episode, before returning to the show as a regular cast member in August. The character was killed off on 1 February 2020.[3]
In August 2021, it was announced that Shipton had been cast in theChannel 4 soap operaHollyoaks, in the guest role ofLydia.[5] Then in 2024, she appeared in an episode of the BBC daytime soap operaDoctors asMelissa Horner.[6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Hold the Back Page | Receptionist | Episode: "Away from Home" |
| 1986–1993, 1998–2003, 2006, 2015–2020 | Casualty | Duffy | Series regular |
| 1986 | The Theban Plays by Sophocles | Theban Citizen | Episode: "Oedipus the King" |
| 1990 | Little Sir Nicholas | Dulcie | Main role |
| 1990 | One Foot in the Grave | Mrs Burridge | Episode: "Who's Listening" |
| 1996 | Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars | Mrs. Simpson | Film |
| 1996 | Taggart | Sarah Price | Episode: "Devil's Advocate Part One" |
| 1996 | The Bill | Alice Merchant | Episode: "All in the Mind" |
| 1997 | Spice World | Midwife | Film |
| 1999 | Holby City | Duffy | Episode: "Knife Edge" |
| 2003 | The Bill | Liz Clough | Episode: "162: Face Consequences" |
| 2004 | Doctors | Jenny Andrews | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 2008 | Doctors | Elaine Finney | Episode: "Changes" |
| 2021 | Hollyoaks | Lydia | Guest role |
| 2021 | Mercy | Lawyer 2 | Film |
| 2024 | Doctors | Melissa Horner | Episode: "Shock Therapy" |