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Helen Elizabeth George (born 19 June 1984) is an English actress who plays the role of Nurse Beatrix "Trixie", Lady Aylward in Call the Midwife.

Early Life[]

Helen Elizabeth George was born on 19 June 1984 in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. She is the daughter of Neil Thomas, a political science professor and Margareth Thomas, a social worker. She has a sister, Elizabeth, a veterinarian. Raised in Winchester, Hampshire, she attended Henry Beaufort School from 1995 to 2000, and studied ballet as a child, eventually becoming a junior associate at Birmingham Royal Ballet, and was active in sports, competing in the long jump. As a child she dreamed of being the first female manager of Aston Villa football club. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Career[]

George decided that she wanted to work in musical theatre at the age of 15, when she saw a production of Les Misérables. She gained her first role some two weeks after graduation in the play The Woman in White.

George was cast in the role of Beatrix Franklin on the BBC One series Call the Midwife. She was daunted by the prospect of working with the likes of Pam Ferris and Jenny Agutter. As part of the role on the series Call the Midwife, she was trained in the medical techniques of the 1950s, including how to deliver a baby. In 2012, she underwent a press tour in the United States to promote the series there. She also starred in the music video for singer Birdy's cover of "1901".

In August 2015, George was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete in the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. She was partnered with professional dancer Aljaž Škorjanec. Despite continuously getting high remarks from the judges, George was eliminated in week 11, finishing in sixth place.

In May 2020, she sang "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" at Buckingham Palace in a BBC broadcast marking the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

Personal Life[]

In 2011, she married the English actor, Oliver Boot. The couple divorced in 2015.

In April 2016, she began dating her Call the Midwife co-star, Jack Ashton when they went to South Africa to film the show's Christmas special. In September 2017, she gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl, whom they called Wren Ivy Ashton. In November 2021, she gave birth to the couple's second child, a girl, whom they called Lark Ashton. During her pregnancy with Wren, George was diagnosed with Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Due to this complication, she delivered Wren three weeks early via caesarean section. In July 2023, George announced that she and Ashton had split.

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