Michelle de Swarte

Michelle de Swarte
Born1980 (age 45–46)
Lewisham, London, England
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • model
  • presenter
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2009; div. 2020)​
Websitemichelledeswarte.com

Michelle de Swarte (born 1980) is an English actress, comedian, presenter, and former model. She starred in the Netflix series The Duchess, and created, wrote and starred in the BBC series Spent.

Early life

De Swarte was born in Lewisham, South London to a Jewish mother and a Jamaican father and grew up in Brixton.[1] She was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child.[2]

Career

Modelling

De Swarte was scouted by a modelling agency at the age of 19, while working at SegaWorld London.[3] She subsequently relocated to New York to continue her modelling career, before returning to Britain and moving into comedy.

De Swarte's beauty product campaigns include Make-up Art Cosmetics, Sephora and Neutrogena. She has also been photographed for Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Cartier, Betsey Johnson, Michael Kors, Baby Phat, H&M, Gap and Levis, by photographers such as Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh, Patrick Demarchelier and Steven Meisel, and featured in fashion spreads for Harper's Bazaar, Italian Vanity Fair and V. She modelled for Copperwheat Blundell (Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show), Luella, Missoni (Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2002 fashion shows), and during the Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter 2002 fashion week she modelled for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, John Galliano and Versus Versace.[4] Her runway career abruptly ended after she fell down repeatedly and removed her shoes while walking for the Gucci Fall/Winter 2002 Ready-to-Wear fashion show where the catwalk was covered in faux sheepskin.[5][2]

Television

De Swarte's TV credits include presenting celebrity gossip show Dirty Digest for E4, The Fashion Show, a 10-episode mini-series with George Lamb and Abbey Clancy which aired on ITV2 from September to November 2008, hosting the live broadcast of Arthur's Day celebrations, and being a talking head on BBC's The Noughties.. Was That It? in 2009. She also appeared on a number of panel shows for Channel 4, BBC, ITV and Comedy Central.

In 2015, she began reporting for Vice America doing a range of documentaries covering issues from FGM to female magicians, as well as the Emmy-nominated series Woman, produced by Gloria Steinem for Viceland USA.

She has also starred in the 2020 British comedy-drama series, The Duchess, and the 2022 British horror comedy limited series, The Baby.[2]

2024 saw the release of de Swarte's self-written sitcom, Spent, on BBC Two, which was loosely based on her own experiences in the modelling industry.[3]

Stand-up

On Live at the Apollo, De Swarte narrates her Jeffrey Epstein-Jean-Luc Brunel encounter.[1]

Personal life

De Swarte is bisexual.[6][2]

De Swarte married American professional skateboarder Jason Dill in 2009; he filed for divorce in 2020.[7]

TV productions

References

  1. 1 2 "Live at the Apollo". Series 17. Episode 5. Event occurs at 44 minutes. BBC.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'I fell on my arse on a Gucci catwalk': Michelle de Swarte, model, standup and now star of The Baby". The Guardian (Interview). Interviewed by Nell Frizzell. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 "High Fashion, Low Funds: First look pictures for Michelle De Swarte's upcoming BBC Comedy-Drama Spent unveiled". BBC Media Centre (Press release). 2 July 2024 [13 June 2024]. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  4. ↑ "Michelle de Swarte". Bellazon. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  5. ↑ Trebay, Guy (5 March 2002). "A Model and Her Traitorous Stilettos". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  6. ↑ O'Leary, Bernard (13 August 2012). "Michelle de Swarte". The Skinny. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "DILL, JASON DONALD VS DE SWARTE, MICHELLE MARY". UniCourt. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
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