Jennifer Joanne Metcalfe

Metcalfe was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire and grew up on the Holme Wood housing estate, and has been acting since age 12. She attended the Scala Kids drama school in her hometown. Metcalfe obtained a degree in Health and Fitness before starting her acting career. In between acting jobs, Metcalfe worked as a fitness instructor in Bradford. She appeared in the sixth series of ITV's Dancing on Ice, partnered with Sylvain Longchambon. She co-owns the clothing rental boutique, The Closet, in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Claire Cooper and Leah Hackett, which opened in April 2010.
Career
Metcalfe has appeared in several television roles including children's television series My Parents Are Aliens and ITV dramas Where The Heart Is, At Home with the Braithwaites and soap opera Emmerdale. On 19 June 2006, Metcalfe began playing Mercedes McQueen in the soap opera Hollyoaks. On 19 December 2010, it was announced Metcalfe was to take part in the sixth series of Dancing on Ice. Metcalfe was the seventh celebrity eliminated from the competition when she finished in the bottom two of the leaderboard along with fellow contestant Vanilla Ice who was saved by the judging panel. Metcalfe announced she was leaving her role on Hollyoaks on 26 August 2014. Her final scenes were aired on 20 November 2014, when Mercedes was apparently murdered by gangster Grace Black. This was revealed in February 2015 to be a ploy by the producers as part of a dramatic new storyline involving Grace framing Freddie Roscoe for Mercedes murder, which Metcalfe proceed to return to her regular role as Mercedes on 18 February 2015.