Samantha Zoe Womack[2] (née Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage.

Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest.

[6][7] At the age of 15, as a self-confessed "wild child", she left home for a life squatting, drinking, smoking and taking drugs.

[10] She finished joint tenth and the song, "A Message to Your Heart", peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

She played Marian Prince, a jazz club chanteuse and friend of Ray Daley in the episode "All Quiet on the West End Front".

She then returned to comedy in the sitcom Babes in the Wood co-starring another Sylvia Young Theatre School student, Denise van Outen, it was critically panned despite respectable ratings, and Womack left after the first series.

In 1999, Womack starred as Cinderella in the ITV Christmas pantomime alongside Harry Hill, Alexander Armstrong, Frank Skinner, Paul Merton, Ronnie Corbett and many more.

[13] In 2002 she returned to TV in BBC One drama Strange and she appeared in films The Baby Juice Express, Lighthouse Hill and Dead Man's Cards.

[14] She had previously appeared in the soap in a minor role as a girlfriend of Simon Wicks, played by Nick Berry.

[15] During her first stint, Womack's character Ronnie was central to many storylines including the controversial baby-swap story which was aired during 2011.

[citation needed] In 2011 Womack played the lead role, Ensign Nellie Forbush, a US Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, in the Lincoln Center production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical South Pacific at the Barbican Theatre in London.

[17] In March 2013, Womack starred opposite her husband on stage in the world premiere of Hope at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.

[18] From September 2013, Womack played the regular role of Tanya in series three of Sky Living's Mount Pleasant.

In 2015, she appeared in the film Kingsman: The Secret Service as lead actor Taron Egerton's character's mother.

[21] On an episode of Loose Women in February 2019, Womack confirmed that offers had been made to her about a project with co-star and best friend Rita Simons.

[24] In November 2011, it was reported that Womack was in the running, alongside Dannii Minogue to become a judge on the 2012 series of Britain's Got Talent.

However, it was later confirmed that the judging panel for series six would be Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams.

In 2007, Womack won "substantial" damages from the Sunday Sport newspaper over a story headlined "Sam's sex and drugs shame".

In late 2007 Maslen joined the cast of EastEnders as Jack Branning, who has a relationship with Womack's character, Ronnie.

[36] In April 2008, Womack broke her shoulder when she tripped and fell down the stairs at her home while rushing to get ready for work.

[37] On 8 August 2022, in a post paying tribute to Dame Olivia Newton-John following her death from breast cancer, Womack revealed on Twitter that she had been diagnosed with the disease herself.