Donna Air | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Donna Air in 2013 | |
| Born | Donna Marie Theresa Air (1979-08-02)2 August 1979 (age 45) Gosforth,Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, producer and philanthropist |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Partner |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Website | donnaair |
Donna Marie Theresa Air (born 2 August 1979) is an English actress, producer and philanthropist.
Donna Marie Theresa Air was born on 2 August 1979,[1] inGosforth,North Tyneside, to receptionist Marie (née Lackenby) and mechanical engineer Trevor Air. The eldest of three children, Air has a sister, Francesca, and brother, Alexander.[2]
Air grew up inGosforth,Newcastle upon Tyne,[3] where she attended St Oswald's Catholic Primary School and laterSacred Heart Convent School andGosforth High School.[4]
She also attended First Act Theatre, a local youth theatre group. Her fellow students at First Act Theatre includedJill Halfpenny andAnthony McPartlin. Air also modeled as a child, appearing in ads forNissan,Asda, andLenor.[5]
Air first appeared as an extra on theCBBC programmeByker Grove at age 10.[6] The producer asked her to audition for a role, and she was cast as Charlie Charlton. In 1994, she and her costars Jayni Hoy and Vicky Taylor formed Byker Groove!,[7] releasing the single "Love Your Sexy", which charted at 48 on theUK Singles Chart.[8] Air moved to London at 15,[9] continuing the band as a duo with Hoy asCrush. Two of the band's singles released in 1996, "Jellyhead" and "Luv'd Up", charted in the UK at 50 and 45 respectively, while their debut studio albumTeenage Kicks failed to chart.[10] The band's management team booked Crush on a tour of the United States, Japan andSouth East Asia, commencing after Air completed herGCSEs, with "Jellyhead" subsequently peaking at 76 on theBillboard Hot 100.[11]
Following her promotional touring, she returned to the United Kingdom and in September 1997 signed toMTV UK to host the daily live show,MTV Select,[12] later becoming a presenter of several shows includingThe Big Breakfast,Channel 4's flagship morning entertainment show. Air departedMTV Select in April 2000, citing her desire to return to acting and to devote more time to her role onThe Big Breakfast as the reasons for her departure.[12] In January 2001, Air was promoted to a main presenter onThe Big Breakfast in a relaunch of the programme amid falling viewer figures.[13] However, Air later resigned in May of that year,[14] with Channel 4 axingThe Big Breakfast shortly thereafter.[15] Also in May, Air appeared inThe Mummy Returns, the sequel toThe Mummy (1999), in a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo" that BBC film critic Neil Smith described as one of the only points of difference between the sequel and the original film.[16]
She has also appeared in many television dramas, most recentlyHollyoaks in 2010 andHotel Babylon in 2008,BBC TV comedyOperation Good Guys,Catherine Cookson's six-parterA Dinner of Herbs, andLynda La Plante'sSupply & Demand. Air appeared in the filmsStill Crazy (1998) andBad Day (2008)[17] amongst others. Air presented onFive's early evening, magazine programmeLive from Studio Five, alongside regular presenter of the programme,Kate Walsh.
In January 2013, Air participated in theITV programmeSplash! She replacedJennifer Metcalfe at short notice.[18] In November 2017, Air announced that she would be taking part in thetenth series ofDancing on Ice.[19] She was partnered withMark Hanretty. They were eliminated in Week 7.[20]
In 2019, Air was announced as having a starring role in the second series of the dramaThe Split, which started airing onBBC One in February 2020.[21]
In 2000, Air was introduced to businessman and animal conservationistDamian Aspinall by their mutual friendTara Palmer-Tomkinson.[22] The pair began a long-term relationship, and Air gave birth to their daughter, Freya Air Aspinall, in September 2003.[23] Shortly after her birth, the couple announced their intention to place her in the care of a gorilla, a ritual in which Aspinall's older children had already taken part.[23]
Air and Aspinall separated amicably in 2007.[24] In 2013, Air began datingJames Middleton, the younger brother ofCatherine, Princess of Wales;[22] the pair eventually separated in 2018.[25]
Air has supported charities including theMacmillan Cancer Support,Race for Life,Sport Relief, andJeans for Genes.[26]
As of 2019[update] she was living inChelsea, London.[27]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Still Crazy | Dutch Hitch-Hiker | |
| 1999 | Truth or Dare | Louise | Short film |
| 2001 | The Mummy Returns | Show Girl | |
| 2002 | The One & Only | Donna | |
| 2008 | Bad Day | Abby Barrett | |
| 2013 | The Counselor | Chauffeur | |
| 2015 | Age of Kill | Sarah Blake | |
| 2021 | Dragged Up | Alex | Short film |
| 2022 | The Bubble | Susan Howard |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-1995 | Byker Grove | Charlie Charlton | 4 series |
| 1998 | Supply & Demand | Lucy | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | A Dinner of Herbs | Maggie Roystan | 3 episodes |
| 2000-01 | The Big Breakfast | Presenter | |
| 2002 | Breeze Block | Kiki | Miniseries |
| 2008 | Hotel Babylon | Rachel | One episode |
| 2010 | Hollyoaks | Sophia | One episode |
| 2020 | The Split | Fi Hansen | 6 episodes |
