Kelly Diane Adams (born 16 October 1979) is an English actress. She has played leading roles in a number of British television series: Mickie Hendrie in the BBC One medical drama series Holby City (2004–2006) and Casualty (2005); Emma Kennedy in the BBC One drama series Hustle (2009–2012); Padre Mary Greenstock in the BBC Three comedy drama series Bluestone 42 (2013–2014); Nancy Webb in the ITV period drama series Mr Selfridge (2015); and Michelle Charr in the BBC daytime murder/police drama series London Kills (2020).
Career Adams was born in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. A pupil of North Kesteven School in North Hykeham, Adams trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in Wood Green, London.
Initially playing Tara Palmer-Tomkinson in a docu-soap about Prince William, she later appeared in Doctors before playing Mickie Hendrie in Holby City from 2004 to 2006. Adams was cast in the role of Mickie alongside fellow series six newcomer Jaye Jacobs, who was cast as staff nurse Donna Jackson. The pair's arrival in the show was heavily publicised and the subject of a documentary entitled Making It at Holby, chronicling their casting process, which entailed seven weeks of auditions, including group workshops to allow the series producers to gauge candidates' personalities.
Adams originally auditioned as Donna. However, the casting directors felt that she would be better suited to Mickie, the quieter character and "mild mannered" counterpart to Donna's "sassy staff nurse". She and Jacobs were paired together during a three-hour workshop, and the producers detected an "instant spark" between them, leading to their dual casting. In 2004, her character had a lesbian liaison with Jacobs' character. The scene in which they kissed was edited to half its original length after being deemed too explicit for pre-watershed broadcast. In the aftermath of the Mickie/Donna storyline, the BBC banned its actresses from appearing in raunchy photo-shoots, after Jacobs and Adams were photographed in intimate poses while dressed in nurse's uniforms for various "lads' mags". In 2006, her ambitious character left for Newcastle Medical school to study to be a doctor.
Adams subsequently appeared as the servant Eve in the Robin Hood episode "A Thing or Two About Loyalty".
In 2009, Adams joined the cast of long-running BBC1 drama series Hustle for its fifth season, playing the role of Emma Kennedy, a new member of Mickey Bricks' crew of con artists. She continued in the role of Emma for three further seasons of the drama. In an episode of Series 6, Adams plays the role of Kylie Minogue as a parody of Adams' resemblance to the Australian singer. In real life, Adams has been mistaken for Minogue.
She had a small role in the 2009 biographical film Bronson, about the prisoner Charles Bronson, and appeared in the British science fiction thriller Beacon77 in 2009 and as Wendy in My Last Five Girlfriends in 2010.
Adams appeared in the second series of Death in Paradise, shown on the BBC in early 2013. She then starred as Padre Mary Greenstock in the BBC Three comedy Bluestone 42 for its first two series.
In 2015 she played Nancy Webb in the third instalment of the ITV period drama series Mr Selfridge, and in 2020 Michelle Charr in the second series of the BBC daytime murder/police drama series London Kills.
Personal life Adams married fashion photographer Chris Kennedy in 2011.
Filmography
Films Year Title Role Notes 2008 Bronson Irene Peterson 2009 The Boxer Natalie My Last Five Girlfriends Wendy The 7th Dimension Sarah Original title: "Beacon77"2012 2 in a Million Neema Short film 2013 Tomorrow in a Day Rose 2019 Huntington Gardens Mrs. Morris
Television Year Title Role Notes2002Prince WilliamTara Palmer-TomkinsonTV film 2005 Casualty Mickie Hendrie Episode: "Deny Thy Father: Part One" 2004–2006 Holby City Series regular, 81 episodes 2006 Robin Hood Eve Episode: "A Thing or Two About Loyalty" 2008 Doctors Amanda Prior Episode: "The Front Page" 2010 The Persuasionists Victoria Smeet Episode: "The Handsomeness" 2009–2012 Hustle Emma Kennedy Series regular, 24 episodes2012 The Town Lucy Mini-series, 3 episodes The Cricklewood Greats Jenny Driscoll 2013 Death in Paradise Liz Curtis Episode: "A Deadly Curse" Endeavour Cynthia Riley Episode: "Home" 2013–2014 Bluestone 42 Padre Mary Greenstock Series regular, 15 episodes 2014–2015 Ronja, the Robber's Daughter Birk Borkason (Voice role) Series regular, 23 episodes2015 Mr Selfridge Nancy Webb Series regular, 10 episodes The Delivery Man Jess Episode: "Theft" Doc Martin Erica Holbrooke Episode: "Facta Non Verba" 2019 London Kills Michelle Charr Episode: "Family Affairs" 2020 Agatha Raisin Melissa Sheppard Episode: "Love from Hell"
Theatre Year Title Role Venue Notes 2002 My Three Angels Marie Louise Ducotel The Mill, Sonning Eye 2003 Dreams from a Summer House Mel Watermill Theatre, Bagnor 2007 Our Man in Havana Beatrice Severn/Milly Wormwold Yvonne Arnaud Theatre - Guildford, Churchill Theatre - Bromley & Theatre Royal, Windsor with Bill Kenwright Ltd. 2014 Two into One Jennifer Menier Chocolate Factory, London
References
External links
Kelly Adams at United Agents