Michelle Gayle
Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer from Harlesden, London. She became famous in the 1990s as an R&B and soul singer, scoring several UK top 40 hits, including the hit "Sweetness." She released two top-40 albums with RCA Records before leaving the label in 1997.
As an actress, Gayle is best known for playing Hattie Tavernier on the BBC soap EastEnders from 1990 to 1993. She has also worked in theatre, such as playing Belle in the West End production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 1999, and has appeared in TV shows and films.
Gayle has taken part in various celebrity reality shows. She was a panellist on Loose Women in 2007 and competed in Dancing on Wheels in 2009. She finished second in Reborn in the USA in 2003.
She began writing and published her first novel, Pride and Premiership, in 2011. She has written for television and contributed to projects such as Wolfblood and A Discovery of Witches.
In her personal life, she was married to former footballer Mark Bright from 1995 to 2008, and they have a son named Isaiah. She later gave birth to another son, Luke, in 2011. Gayle runs a music production company, M Media Productions, and continues to work in music, acting and writing. In 2023 she performed her hit "Sweetness" at a Louise concert.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:27 (CET).