Jessica Forrest
Jessica Forrest (born 1990) is a British actress and writer from Colne, Lancashire. She studied drama at the University of Manchester but left in 2010 to join the soap Hollyoaks as Leanne Holiday. She played Leanne until 2013, when the character was killed off.
After Hollyoaks, Forrest appeared in Playhouse Presents, Coronation Street and Dani’s Castle, where she later starred in the third series. In theatre, she played Jasmine in Chip Shop Chips on a five‑week tour in 2016 and again in 2018. She also co‑wrote and performed The Trolley Girls at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.
Forrest moved to Italy later and started a project teaching children English through songs and animation. In 2022 she performed her autobiographical one‑woman show The Olive Tree at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Early life: Forrest grew up in Colne and loved theatre from a young age. She attended Ss John Fisher and Thomas More High School and Nelson and Colne College. Thinking she lacked experience, she initially pursued drama and screen studies at Manchester but discovered she preferred performing. She was spotted on the street, invited to audition, and won a year‑long Hollyoaks contract after an open audition at the BBC, also appearing in the Hollyoaks: Freshers online spin‑off before joining the main show.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:31 (CET).