imported>WikiEditor73 at 14:19, 22 July 2021

2021-07-22T14:19:14Z

New page

{{short description|English actress}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Laila Rouass
| image =
| imagesize = 200px
| caption =
| birth_name = Laila Abdesselam
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1971|6|22}}
| birth_place = [[Stepney]], London, England
| death_date =
| death_place =
| othername =
| website =
| nationality = British
| education =
| alma mater =
| television = ''[[Family Affairs]]'' ''[[Footballers' Wives]]'' ''[[Primeval (TV series)|Primeval]]'' ''[[Strictly Come Dancing (series 7)|Strictly Come Dancing]]'' ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]'' ''[[Holby City]]'' ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]] [[Loose Women]]
| spouse = Abselam Rouass (1990–2003)
| domesticpartner = Nasir Khan (2005–2008) James Petrie (2010–2011) [[Ronnie O'Sullivan]] (2012–present)
| children = 1
| parents =
| yearsactive = 1999–present
}}

'''Laila Rouass''' (née '''Abdesselam'''; born 22 June 1971) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of [[Amber Gates]] in ''[[Footballers' Wives]]'' (2004–2006) and [[Sahira Shah]] in ''[[Holby City]]'' (2011–2012, 2021–present). She has also starred in ''[[Primeval (TV series)|Primeval]]'' and ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]'' and been a contestant on ''[[Strictly Come Dancing (series 7)|Strictly Come Dancing]]'', in which she finished fourth.

==Early life==
Rouass was born in Stepney, London to a [[Morocco|Moroccan]] father and an [[India]]n mother.<ref>{{cite interview |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Star+Chat%3A+I'm+really+a+good+girl!%3B+Footballers'+Wives+star+Laila...-a0113499742 |title=Star Chat: I'm really a good girl!; Footballers' Wives star Laila Rouass, 28, might play a swinging schemer, but in real life the finishing schooled actress says she's sweet and innocent. |first=Laila |last=Rouass |interviewer=Alex Tate and Steven Smith |work=The People |publisher=MGN Ltd |date=22 February 2004 }}</ref>

==Career==
Rouass worked as a [[VJ (media personality)|VJ]] on [[Channel V]] in India in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/glitterati.aspx?36|title=The Language of Fashion|work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|publisher=The Outlook Group|location=India |date=19 June 1996|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref> While on Channel V, she appeared in a music video for the band Colour Blind, directed by the then creative head of the channel, Shamin Desai.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?209281|title=Givin' It A Good Shot|first=Namrata|last=Joshi|work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]]|publisher=The Outlook Group|location=India |date=24 April 2000|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>

After moving back to the UK, Rouass became famous for playing the role of [[Bollywood]] actress Amber Gates in the cult [[ITV1]] series ''[[Footballers' Wives]]'' between 2004 and 2006 and, albeit briefly, on the [[ITV2]] spin-off series ''[[Footballers' Wives: Extra Time]]''. She also played recurring roles on the British soaps ''[[Family Affairs]]'' and ''[[Hollyoaks]]'',<ref name="Hollyoaks"/> as well as appearing in episodes of ''[[I Dream]]'', ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' and ''[[Meet the Magoons]]''. She starred alongside [[Meera Syal]] in the television adaptation of Syal's novel, ''[[Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee]].''

Rouass was ranked No.87 and No.69 on [[FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004]] and [[FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005]] respectively.

In 2009 she appeared as [[Egyptologist]] [[List of Primeval characters#P|Sarah Page]] in the third series of the ITV science-fiction series ''[[Primeval (TV series)|Primeval]]''. She left the show when location of filming was changed to [[Dublin]], for series four and five, saying it would be hard to continue participating as she was a single parent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s48/primeval/news/a219453/laila-rouass-explains-primeval-exit.html|title=Laila Rouass explains 'Primeval' exit|first=Daniel|last=Kilkelly|date=12 May 2010|work=[[Digital Spy]]|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>

In spring of 2010, Rouass announced that she will be making a film about [[Leila Khaled]], who led the hijacking of a flight from Rome to [[Athens]] in 1969. Rouass stated she had funding for the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7415234/Footballers-Wives-star-Laila-Rouass-films-life-of-terrorist-Leila-Khaled.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313185036/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/7415234/Footballers-Wives-star-Laila-Rouass-films-life-of-terrorist-Leila-Khaled.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 March 2010|title=Footballers' Wives star Laila Rouass films life of terrorist Leila Khaled|first=Tim|last=Walker|date=10 March 2010|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>

She played [[Maya Lahan]], a regular character introduced in the ninth series of BBC One drama ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]'' which broadcast from September 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s120/spooks/tubetalk/a276653/spooks-meet-the-newbies-laila-rouass.html|title='Spooks' – Meet The Newbies: Laila Rouass|first=Catriona|last=Wightman|work=[[Digital Spy]]|date=16 September 2010|access-date=7 March 2010}}</ref> She guest starred as the evil Colonel Karim in ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' in October 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk43/mon.shtml#mon_sarah|title=The Sarah Jane Adventures – Death of the Doctor|publisher=BBC|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref> Rouass then joined the cast of the BBC medical drama ''[[Holby City]]'', appearing from February 2011 as registrar [[Sahira Shah]].<ref>{{cite web|last= Kilkelly|first= Daniel|title= Laila Rouass joins 'Holby City'|work= [[Digital Spy]]|date= 7 November 2010|url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s19/holby-city/news/a286458/laila-rouass-joins-holby-city.html|access-date=20 January 2011}}</ref> She left ''Holby City'' on 17 April 2012, after just 14 months on the show, to take a break to spend time with her family. She returned to the role of Sahira Shah on 9 February 2021.

She is also currently one of the presenters of "The Channel 4 TV Book Club".
<ref>[http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-tv-book-club/articles/laila-rouass The TV Book Club – Presenters – Laila Rouass – Channel 4]</ref>

===''Strictly Come Dancing''===
She participated in the [[Strictly Come Dancing (series 7)|seventh series]] of ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'', a BBC One reality show, paired with professional dancer [[Anton Du Beke]], and alongside ''Footballers' Wives'' co-star [[Zöe Lucker]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/oct/05/strictly-anton-paki-complaints|title=Strictly Come Dancing: BBC receives scores of complaints over racist remark|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian News and Media]]|first=Tara|last=Conlan|date=5 October 2009|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref>

The pair made it to the last four before being voted off the show on 6 December 2009. She failed to show up for the final on 19 December 2009 to reprise her partnership with Anton Du Beke. The show's host, [[Bruce Forsyth]], offered no reason for her absence although he did do so for the other missing celebrity, [[Phil Tufnell]], who had [[influenza]].{{citation needed|date=January 2011}}

===Film career===
Rouass' first film was ''City of Dreams'' produced by Feroze Nadiawala, in which she starred opposite [[Lisa Ray]] and [[Saeed Jaffery]].<ref name="Hollyoaks">{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/community/showcards/H/Hollyoaks_-_Dale_Jackson.html|title=Hollyoaks – Laila Rouass |date=7 March 2003 |access-date=7 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714053322/http://www.channel4.com/community/showcards/H/Hollyoaks_-_Dale_Jackson.html |archive-date=14 July 2007|publisher=[[Channel 4]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010823/main8.htm#1|title=Wisecracking their way to Bollywood|date=23 August 2001|first=Nutan|last=Sehgal|location=Chandigarh, India|work=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|publisher=The Tribune Trust|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref> During the years that she was based in India, early in her career, she acted in some Indian films, Aditya Bhattacharya's [[India|Indo]]-Italian ''Senso unico'' (1999) and Dev Benegal's ''[[Split Wide Open]]'' (1999).

In 2000, Rouass starred in Jag Mhundra's controversial film, ''[[Bawandar]]'' (English title; ''The Sand Storm''),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.film.com/movies/sandstorm/14704096|title=Sandstorm|publisher=[[Film.com]]|access-date=7 March 2011}}</ref> about revenge rapes in [[Rajasthan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.openmagazine.co.uk/big-screen/article/laila-rouass/|title=Laila Rouass|first=Loma-Ann|last=Marks|work=Open|publisher=Open Magazine Ltd|date=16 July 2008|access-date=7 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107071423/http://www.openmagazine.co.uk/big-screen/article/laila-rouass/|archive-date=7 November 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> and she made her English-language film debut in 2002 with a small role in ''[[The Four Feathers (2002 film)|The Four Feathers]]'' opposite [[Heath Ledger]].<ref name="Hollyoaks"/>

She starred in ''The Hunt Feast'' (2004),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/fest_content/festivals.pl?debug=&channelbar=&fest=cannes2004&page=daily&date=2004/5/12&partner=&year=2004&lang=en&text_id=26103|title=Hunt Feast shooting in Syria with Iraq theme|publisher=FilmFestivals.com|year=2004|access-date=7 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407002244/http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/fest_content/festivals.pl?debug=&channelbar=&fest=cannes2004&page=daily&date=2004%2F5%2F12&partner=&year=2004&lang=en&text_id=26103|archive-date=7 April 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and in 2006 she was cast in Aditya Raj Kapoor's film ''[[Don't Stop Dreaming]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kabir-bedi.com/sunielshetty/ssalpha.asp|title=Suniel Shetty's films incl. new projects – in chronological order|publisher=kabir-bedi.com|access-date=7 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907211414/http://www.kabir-bedi.com/sunielshetty/ssalpha.asp|archive-date=7 September 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Rouass also appeared in the independent British film ''[[Shoot on Sight]]'' (2007) opposite [[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]], [[Om Puri]] and [[Sadie Frost]]. In 2008, she appeared in two films, ''[[Freebird (film)|Freebird]]'' and the New Zealand funded ''Apron Strings''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-tv-book-club/articles/laila-rouass|title=Laila Rouass|date=17 December 2010|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
In 1990, Rouass married Abdeslam Rouass in [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]], London.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}} They divorced in 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MY+SECRET+SEXLESS+MARRIAGE;+FOOTBALLERS'+WIVES+SENSATION.-a0113120267|title=My Secret Sexless Marriage; Footballers' Wives Sensation|last=Cummins|first=Fiona|date=11 February 2004|work=[[Daily Mirror]]|access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref> In October 2006, Rouass saw a doctor regarding back pains only to find she was six months pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in February 2007. She and Khan separated again in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2008/09/07/tv-laila-boots-out-cheating-hubby-93463-20726536/|title=TV Laila boots out cheating hubby|last=Dorrian|first=Gareth|date=7 September 2008|work=[[The People]]|access-date=8 March 2011}}</ref> after which Rouass brought up her daughter by herself.<ref>{{Cite news|title='I'm quite fiery, but Ronnie O'Sullivan calms me down,' says Laila Rouass|language=en-GB|work=belfasttelegraph|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/weekend/im-quite-fiery-but-ronnie-osullivan-calms-me-down-says-laila-rouass-35183497.html|access-date=2020-08-28|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> Since February 2013, she has been engaged to professional snooker player [[Ronnie O'Sullivan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2013020411017/ronnie-osullivan-laila-rouass-engaged/|title=Snooker star Ronnie rockets to happiness after proposing to Laila Rouass|work=Hello|access-date=22 August 2013|date=4 February 2013}}</ref>

In August 2017, Rouass was caught up in the [[2017 Barcelona attacks|Barcelona terrorist attack]], writing on Twitter during the incident that she was hiding in a restaurant freezer.<ref name="BBC_Aug2017">{{cite web|title=Strictly Come Dancing and Holby City's Laila Rouass caught up in Barcelona attack – BBC Newsbeat|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/40973362/strictly-come-dancing-and-holby-citys-laila-rouass-caught-up-in-barcelona-attack|publisher=BBC Newsbeat|access-date=18 August 2017|date=18 August 2017}}</ref>

Rouass is a Muslim.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=lailarouass |number=1126939224089989120 |date=10 May 2019 |title=Another thing..I’m a Muslim. I have and continue to visit (with my 12 year old daughter) churches, synagogues, Gudwaras, Buddhist temples, mosques etc. Here’s a pic of my daughter and I in church a few weeks ago}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Film performances
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1999
| ''Senso unico''
| Yasmine
|
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Split Wide Open]]''
| Nandita
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Bawandar]]''
| Amy
|
|-
| 2002
| ''[[The Four Feathers (2002 film)|The Four Feathers]]''
| Maya
|
|-
| 2003
| ''Two Minutes''
| Sonita
| Short
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Shoot on Sight]]''
| Ruby Kaur
|
|-
| 2008
| ''Apron Strings''
| Anita
|
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Freebird (film)|Freebird]]''
| Lucinda
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Conan the Barbarian (2011 film)|Conan the Barbarian]]''
| Fialla, Conan's Mother
|
|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|+ Television performances
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Family Affairs]]''
| Tanya Ayuba
|
|-
| 2002
| ''The Comedy Lab''
|
| 1 episode: "Meet the Mangoons"
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''
| Mandy Kellaway
| 1 episode: "You're Going Home in the Back of an Ambulance"
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Hollyoaks]]''
| [[Dale Jackson (Hollyoaks)|Dale Jackson]]
|
|-
| 2004
| ''I Dream''
| Lollie Das
| 1 episode: "Toon in Love"
|-
| 2004–2006
| ''[[Footballers' Wives]]''
| [[Amber Gates]]
|
|-
| 2005
| ''Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee''
| Tania
|
|-
| 2005
| ''Footballers' Wive$: Extra Time''
| Amber Gates
|
|-
| 2005
| ''Meet the Mangoons''
| Anita
| 1 episode: "Stairway to Havan"
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]''
| Gina Marshall
| 1 episode: "All Through the Night"
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Primeval (TV series)|Primeval]]''
| [[List of Primeval characters#Sarah Page|Sarah Page]]
| Main cast, season 3
|-
| 2010
| ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''
| Colonel Tia Karim
| 2 episodes: "[[Death of the Doctor]]" (Part 1 and 2)
|-
| 2010
| ''[[Spooks (TV series)|Spooks]]''
| Maya Lahan
|
|-
| 2011–2012, 2021–
| ''[[Holby City]]''
| [[Sahira Shah]]
| Main cast
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Sadie J]]''
| Maddy
| 1 episode: "Robobootylicious"
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''
| Stephanie King
| 1 episode - "The Flying Club"
|-
| 2015
| ''[[The Royals (TV series)|The Royals]]''
| Deputy Prime Minister Rani
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Stella (UK TV series)|Stella]]''
| Maria
|
|-
| 2016
| ''[[The Lodge (TV series)|The Lodge]]''
| Olivia
| 4 Episodes
|-
| 2018
| ''[[Safe (TV series)|Safe]]''
| Lauren
|
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{BFI|4ce2bc39c68c0|name=Laila Rouass}}
* {{IMDb name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rouass, Laila}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English people of Moroccan descent]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:English people of Indian descent]]
[[Category:British actresses of Indian descent]]
[[Category:English soap opera actresses]]
[[Category:British Muslims]]

Laila Rouass - Revision history

imported>WikiEditor73 at 14:19, 22 July 2021