Diane Parish

Diane Parish
Parish in 2026
Born
Diane Carol Richards

(1969-11-06) 6 November 1969
Tottenham, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1991–present
Children2

Diane Carol Richards (born 6 November 1969), known professionally as Diane Parish, is a British actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera EastEnders since 2006.[1]

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Parish has acted on British television for over two decades. She has appeared in a number of TV shows over the years, including the ITV dramas The Bill and M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team playing Detective Eva Sharpe. She is also known for appearing in two series of the BBC One comedy drama Lovejoy (1993–1994).

Early life

Parish was born on 6 November 1969 in Tottenham, London and attended Kingsmead School in Enfield, where she wrote and performed in school drama productions before graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[2][3]

Career

After graduating from London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she worked mainly in theatre, including playing Cordelia in Talawa Theatre Company's 1994 production of King Lear.[4][5]

Parish has appeared in various television roles. In Lovejoy, she played Beth Taylor, the replacement for the character Eric Catchpole. Another television role was in the BBC soap opera EastEnders as Lola Christie, the girlfriend of Mick McFarlane (Sylvester Williams) and manager of the night café, in 1998.[6]

Parish has also appeared in television dramas including The Bill and its spin-off M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team, playing DC Eva Sharpe. Before The Bill she starred in Babyfather, for which she received the Royal Television Society's best actress award in 2001, becoming the first black actor to win a major RTS award.[6] Parish returned to EastEnders in May 2006, but this time playing regular character Denise Fox.[7] She departed from the soap opera temporarily in January 2008 in order to give birth to her daughter, returning in June that year.[8] Parish appeared as Millie in the 1996 film Indian Summer (also released under the title Alive And Kicking).[9] In September 2025, Parish was announced to appear in the seventh series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK as a special celebrity guest during a makeover challenge (episode "The Hun Makeover").[10]

Personal life

Parish is of Dominican and Montserratian descent. She has two daughters with her former partner, Sebastian Hagemeister.[11]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1993 Frank Stubbs Promotes Receptionist Episode: "Starlet"
Screen One Blackpool Waitress Episode: "Wide-Eyed and Legless"
1993–1994 Lovejoy Beth Taylor Main role
1996 The Final Passage Milkie Television film
Indian Summer Millie Film; also marketed as Alive and Kicking
1997 Casualty Donna Episode: "Déjà Vu"
Holding On Janet Main role
1998 Picking Up the Pieces Lisa Gee Main role
Driving Miss Daisy Crazy Daisy Short film
EastEnders Lola Christie Regular role
1999 Real Women Rachel Recurring role
2000 The Vice Shirley Robinson Main role
2000–2001 Clocking Off Sylvia Robinson Main role
2001 Comedy Lab Jacks Episode: "Turn the World Down"
2001–2002 Babyfather Lesley Bailey Main role
2002–2004 The Bill Eva Sharpe Main role
2005 Holby City Lucy Faulds Episode: "Live and Let Die"
Murder Investigation Team Eva Sharpe Recurring role
Waking the Dead Sheryl Palliser Episodes: "Black Run: Parts 1 & 2"
2006–present EastEnders Denise Fox Regular role
2010 East Street Charity crossover between Coronation Street and EastEnders
EastEnders: Farewell Stacey Television film
2012 The B&B: Kim's Place 2 episodes: "The Deadline" and "Branching Out"
2014 EastEnders: The Ghosts of Ian Beale Charity special
2020 The Queen Vic Quiz Night Charity crossover between Coronation Street and EastEnders
EastEnders: Secrets from the Square Herself Episode: "Denise and Kim"
2023 EastEnders: The Six 2 episodes
2025 EastEnders Investigates: The Manosphere Documentary
RuPaul's Drag Race UK Special guest; Series 7

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2002 Royal Television Society Programme Awards Actor: Female Babyfather Won [12]
8th National Television Awards Most Popular Newcomer The Bill Nominated [13]
2007 The British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [14]
2010 15th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [15]
Inside Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [16]
2011 16th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [17]
2013 2013 British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [18]
TV Choice Awards Best Soap Actress EastEnders Nominated [19]
2014 19th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [20]
2014 British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [21]
TV Choice Awards Best Soap Actress EastEnders Nominated [22]
2016 2016 British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [23]
TV Choice Awards Best Soap Actress EastEnders Nominated [24]
2017 22nd National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [25]
2017 British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [26]
2017 British Soap Awards Best Female Dramatic Performance EastEnders Nominated [27]
Inside Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [28]
Digital Spy Reader Awards Best Soap Actress EastEnders Seventh [29]
2018 23rd National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [30]
2018 British Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [31]
2020 I Talk Telly Awards Best Soap Performance EastEnders Nominated [32]
2021 Best Soap Partnership (with Tameka Empson) EastEnders Nominated [33]
2023 2023 British Soap Awards Best Leading Performer EastEnders Nominated [34]
28th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [35]
Inside Soap Awards Best Actress EastEnders Nominated [36]
2024 29th National Television Awards Serial Drama Performance EastEnders Nominated [37]

References

  1. ↑ "Diane Parish age and career before playing EastEnders' Denise Fox". Metro. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  2. ↑ "EastEnders' Diane Parish pays sweet tribute to on-screen sister". Digital Spy. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "It's play time at Kingsmead". Enfield Gazette. 11 April 1985.
  4. ↑ "Yvonne Brewster: Nobody was offering black actors Shakespeare so we staged our King Lear". The Guardian. Interviewed by David Jays. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "EastEnders star Diane Parish shares hair transformation". Digital Spy. 18 March 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  6. 1 2 Webb, Alex (2002). "Changing the scenery". BBC News. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kellie Shirley and Diane Parish to join EastEnders" (Press release). BBC. 7 November 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
  8. ↑ Green, Kris (18 August 2007). "'Kevin Wicks' quits 'EastEnders'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  9. ↑ "Indian Summer (1996)" – via www.filmaffinity.com.
  10. ↑ "Iconic group of celebrities set for the drag makeover of their lives on RuPaul's Drag Race UK: Series 7". BBC Media Centre. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Actress Diane Parish says she has 'shut up shop'". Peoplemag. 26 June 2008.
  12. ↑ "RTS 2002: The winners". news.bbc.co.uk. 20 March 2002. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "National TV awards: 2002 shortlist". BBC News. BBC. 15 October 2002. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "The British Soap Awards 2007: The Winners". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  15. ↑ "National Television Awards 2009". EastEnders. BBC. 7 September 2009. Archived from the original on 10 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  16. ↑ Wightman, Catriona (13 July 2010). "In full: Inside Soap Awards 2010 nominees". Digital Spy.
  17. ↑ Wightman, Catriona (21 September 2010). "National Television Awards 2011 - Nominees". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  18. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (11 March 2013). "British Soap Awards 2013 voting opens, nominations revealed". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Diane Parish - Nominated for Best Soap Actress - The TVChoice Awards 2013 - EastEnders - BBC One". BBC. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  20. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (17 September 2013). "Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks stars up for NTAs - full list". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  21. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (17 March 2014). "British Soap Awards 2014 voting opens, longlist announced". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "TV Choice Awards 2014". EastEnders. BBC. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  23. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (4 April 2016). "British Soap Awards 2016 nominations: Which Corrie, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks stars are up?". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "Tv Choice Awards 2016- The Longlist". digitalspy.co.uk. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  25. ↑ Deene, Sarah (11 October 2016). "This is the BBC's last chance to bag an National Television Award for The Great British Bake Off/". Metro. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  26. ↑ Dainty, Sophie (18 April 2017). "British Soap Awards 2017: the longlist is revealed". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "British Soap Awards 2017: Full list of winners". Belfast Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  28. ↑ Harp, Justin (22 August 2017). "Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks all make the Inside Soap Awards longlist". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  29. ↑ Sandwell, Ian (29 December 2017). "Emmerdale almost achieves clean sweep at the Digital Spy Reader Awards 2017". Digital Spy. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  30. ↑ McCreesh, Louise (10 October 2017). "Here are all the nominees for the National TV Awards 2018". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  31. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (10 April 2018). "British Soap Awards 2018 nominations revealed: Which Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and Doctors stars are up?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  32. ↑ Gonzalez, Elliot (8 November 2020). "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2020 Nominees". I Talk Telly. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  33. ↑ "I TALK TELLY AWARDS 2021 Nominations". italktelly.com. 14 November 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
  34. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (11 April 2023). "British Soap Awards 2023 longlist: EastEnders' Ravi vs Corrie's Stephen". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  35. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (23 May 2023). "NTAs 2023 longlist revealed – SAS Rogue Heroes, Call the Midwife and more". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  36. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (4 July 2023). "Inside Soap Awards 2023 announces full list of nominees". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  37. ↑ Hibbs, James (21 May 2024). "NTAs 2024 longlist revealed – Mr Bates, Death in Paradise and more". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
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