Rachel Shenton's famous husband, Oscar win and charity work as All Creatures Great and Small returns
Fans of All Creatures Great and Small will be delighted to see it return for a second series on Channel 5 this evening (Thursday, September 19).
The classic veterinary drama will see Oscar winner former Stoke-on-Trent College student Rachel Shenton, from Caverswall, reprise the role of Helen Alderson - an independent local farmer’s daughter who helps to manage the family farm and care for her younger sister.
The part was played by Carol Drinkwater in the BBC's original series. Channel 5 has renewed the All Creatures Great and Small reboot for a fifth series after its debut drew in a record five million viewers. So, who is Rachel Shenton?
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Who is her famous husband?
Chris Overton, a respected actor and filmmaker, has two producer credits for the short films Dalston Heath and Six More Sleeps. He also directed The Silent Child, a 2017 release that narrates the tale of a profoundly deaf six year old girl. He's appeared on our screens in popular series such as Doctors, Hollyoaks, Casualty, DCI Banks, Pride, and Drifters.
In 2018, Rachel revealed that she had tied the knot with Chris in a discreet summer ceremony, following an eight-year relationship ignited by their mutual interests in film and television.
Their private wedding coincided with the celebratory moments of their Academy Award triumph for the inspiring short film they crafted together.
Speaking to The Sun, the celebrity shared: "We got married not that long ago in amongst all the madness. It was a very private event, we wanted to keep it private, but I am so happy though."
The couple first met back in 2010 when Rachel was capturing attention as Mitzeee Minniver on Hollyoaks, and Chris was portraying Liam McAllister.
Rachel opened up about their grounded lifestyle despite their fame, telling The Sun: "Chris and I are a bit boring and normal so I don't think it has changed that much day to day really.
"But it has certainly changed us creatively in terms of what we want to do and the meetings we've found ourselves in and doors that have been opened."
What did she win an Oscar for?
Former Painsley Catholic College student Rachel won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for The Silent Child on March 4, 2018 at the 90th Academy Awards. She wrote and co-starred in the film as Joanne, a social worker who helps the protagonist – a young deaf girl called Libby – learn how to communicate through sign language.
Her partner Chris Overton directed the film and accepted the award alongside Rachel at the Hollywood ceremony.
During her acceptance speech, Rachel signed what she was saying. She said: "I made a promise to our six-year-old lead actress that I would sign this speech. My hands are shaking a little bit so I apologise.
"The film is about a deaf child being born into a world of silence. It's not exaggerated or sensationalised for the movie, this is happening. Millions of children all over the world live in silence and face communication barriers and particularly access to education."
What else has she done?
Many people remember Rachel as aspiring glamour model Mitzeee Minniver on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. She appeared in 234 episodes of the Chester-based soap between 2010 and 2013.
Following on from Hollyoaks, she appeared in a television series White Gold and landed a role as young student teacher, Lilly Summers in American drama series Switched at Birth.
She was also cast as the character Cara in short film ‘Roy’.
What else do I need to know about Rachel?
Rachel was born in December 1987 and is from Caverswall. She went to school at Cheadle's Painsley Catholic College before going on to study A-Level drama at Stoke-on-Trent College.
From there the 37-year-old's career blossomed as she took on roles in BBC shows Holby City, Doctors and Waterloo Road between 2005 and 2007.
What charity work is she involved in?
Rachel supports various local and national charities, including the Donna Louise and Douglas Macmillan Hospice. She also volunteers for Stoke-on-Trent based charity dDeaflinks.
She became involved with the charity following the death of her father when she was just 14, as he lost his hearing during the last two years of his life. Rachel learned sign language and qualified as an interpreter and has since continued to champion deaf charities and raise awareness about the disability in the UK.
In 2011 she was made an ambassador for the National Deaf Children's Society and has gone on to complete a number of challenges including a skydive as well as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and London's BT Tower for this charity and Action on Hearing Loss respectively.