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| Michelle de Swarte | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1980 (age 43–44) Lewisham, London, England |
| Occupations |
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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. She was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child.
Career
De Swarte was scouted by a modeling agency at the age of 19, while working at SegaWorld London. 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 modeled 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 modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, John Galliano and Versus Versace. But her career as a runway model stopped abruptly 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.
Turning to television, her 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.
On Live at the Apollo, she tells about her Jeffrey Epstein-Jean-Luc Brunel encounter.
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.
Personal life
De Swarte is bisexual. She lives between London and Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
De Swarte was previously married to professional skateboarder Jason Dill; he filed for divorce in 2020.
TV productions
- 2008: The Fashion Show (Princess Productions for ITV2 with George Lamb and Abigail Clancy)
- 2009: Arthur's Day Celebrations (ITV2 and Sky, with Cat Deeley and Ronan Keating)
- 2009: I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here Now! (ITV2, filmed in Australia)
- 2011: Dirty Digest (E4)
- 2024: Spent (BBC Two)
References
- ^ "BBC Two - Live at the Apollo, Series 17, Episode 5". BBC. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
Geoff Norcott introduces comedians Michelle de Swarte and Sean McLoughlin to the stage. 44 minutes
- ^ de Swarte, Michelle (17 June 2022). "'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.
- ^ "High Fashion, Low Funds: First look pictures for Michelle De Swarte's upcoming BBC Comedy-Drama Spent unveiled". BBC Media Centre. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- Nefertiti (September 25, 2009). "Michelle de Swarte". Bellazon.
- Trebay, Guy (5 March 2002). "A Model and Her Traitorous Stilettos". The New York Times. p. B7. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- O'Leary, Bernard (13 August 2012). "Michelle de Swarte". The Skinny.
- "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- "DILL, JASON DONALD VS DE SWARTE, MICHELLE MARY". UniCourt. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- 1980 births
- Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth
- Actors from the London Borough of Lewisham
- Actors with dyslexia
- Models with dyslexia
- Actresses from London
- Bisexual comedians
- Bisexual Jews
- Bisexual women models
- Black British actresses
- Black British fashion people
- Black British women comedians
- Black Jewish people
- Comedians from the London Borough of Lambeth
- Comedians from the London Borough of Lewisham
- English bisexual actresses
- English expatriates in the United States
- English female models
- English LGBTQ comedians
- English LGBTQ models
- English people of Jamaican descent
- English people with disabilities
- English television presenters
- English women comedians
- Jewish English actresses
- Jewish English comedians
- Jewish female comedians
- LGBTQ people from London
- People from Brixton
- People from Lewisham
- Jewish LGBTQ women