[1] She was educated at the independent Italia Conti Academy stage school and then started a career as a fashion model, appearing on the cover of a number of teen magazines, including Pink and Jackie.
Having appeared with her sister Debbie in the 1978 British slapstick comedy Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse,[2] her first major film role was playing the romantic lead in Quadrophenia in 1979.
In 1982, she played the role of a fast food chef in the fifth series of Shelley in the episode entitled "When the Chip Hits the Fan", and appeared opposite Joan Collins in the film Nutcracker.
In 1983, she had the starring role in The Balance of Nature, a film about a Cockney girl from a tower block with aspirations to win the Miss United Kingdom competition.
In 1984, she appeared opposite Roger Daltrey and former Quadrophenia co-star Toyah Willcox in the thriller Murder: Ultimate Grounds for Divorce, and played Carol Landau in the 1985 comedy film Shadey, directed by Philip Saville.
Ash is also well known for playing Deborah (Debs), the upstairs tenant and love interest for Neil Morrissey, in the situation comedy Men Behaving Badly.
In 2009, Ash appeared on daytime TV panel programme Loose Women to discuss her new role in Holby City and her previous health problems.
The hospital admitted breach of duty over part of her treatment but denied responsibility for the extent of her injuries[13] and in January 2008 paid out a record £5m compensation in an out-of-court settlement.
Steve Walker, chief executive of the NHS Litigation Authority, said the payout set a new record for compensation following a hospital-acquired infection.
In the second procedure, liquid silicone was injected resulting in extreme swelling of her lips, a condition dubbed as "trout pout" in the press.
"[17] Ash and Chapman sued the News of the World for breach of privacy over suspicions that their voicemails, and those of their two sons, were illegally accessed by private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.