Initially famous for her portrayal of Raquel Wolstenhulme in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street, she went on to play Yvonne Kolakowski in the BBC One series Clocking Off; Ruth Goddard in the ITV drama Where the Heart Is; and Sergeant Catherine Cawood in the BBC One crime program Happy Valley. After training at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, she began her professional acting career and taught at Salford University.