Alison Newman

Alison Newman is a British actress, best known for her role in the hit ITV1 television series Footballers Wives as Hazel Bailey, and as DI Samantha Keeble in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.

Alison Newman was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire to David and Jenny Newman. She has one sister called Sarah. Both her parents were school teachers who encouraged her to take up acting as a hobby, but discouraged her from attending stage school when she was younger, a decision she subsequently agreed was probably sensible. Instead she joined the National Youth Theatre when she was 16. Her father died in October 2002, while she was filming the second series of Footballers Wives. The producers allowed her to take time off from filming some of her last scenes in the series finale so she could be with her family.

Source: Wikipedia