[2][3] Jessica Haines was born in Umtata in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
From a young age she had a love of the stage and did classical ballet and contemporary dance.
She featured in a range of school arts programmes and participated as lead roles in musicals such as Brigadoon, Oklahoma and Fame.
In 1998 she left Natal to complete an honours degree at the University of Cape Town where she first studied English Literature, Drama and Social Anthropology.
Series) "Beth Tyrone" Directed by Zee Nthuli and Catherine Cooke