After rising to prominence for her role as Hannah Ashworth in Hollyoaks (2005–2010, 2024), she later played Gemma Roscoe in the BBC One drama series Prisoners' Wives and as the Red Queen in the American fantasy-drama Once Upon a Time in Wonderland.

Rigby was born in St Helens, Merseyside, she attended De La Salle High School, where she began working professionally at the age of 14.

[2] Rigby's television debut came in June 2003 as Lisa Gunstone in the BBC's drama series Born and Bred.

She also played Elena Jones, schoolfriend of Anthony Murray (Raymond Quinn), in four episodes of the Channel 4 soap Brookside in the same year.

However, after meetings with soap bosses, Rigby extended her contract for an additional six months and remained on-screen until February 2010.

[6] The same year, she appeared in the horror film Demons Never Die, and in September she had a role in the first episode of the C4 comedy Fresh Meat as Rachel.

Rigby played Gemma Roscoe, a young pregnant girl whose life falls apart when her husband is arrested for murder.

[11][12][13] In 2014 she starred in the remake of Endless Love and also played the female lead in the British crime film Plastic which is based on a true story, about a group of English university students running a successful credit card scam.

In the summer of 2016, Rigby signed on for her first female lead in a US film, starring as Angie in romantic comedy A Cinderella Christmas.

[23] In 2007, at the age of 17, Rigby was nominated for Best Actress in the British Soap Awards (being one year too old to qualify for Best Dramatic Performance for a Young Actor/Actress), but did not make it to the final four.

A year later, she won The British Soap Award for Best Actress and was nominated for Best Dramatic Performance, but lost to Jo Joyner.