Helen George has been stealing the hearts of Call the Midwife fans since she arrived as Nurse Trixie Franklin during the first episode in 2012.
Fans of the One period drama, created by Heidi Thomas, have seen Trixie grow from a midwife struggling with alcoholism living in Nonnatus House to a married woman and step-mum.
Trixie tied the knot with the man of dreams Matthew Aylward (Olly Rix) at the end of season 12, and viewers saw them embark on life as newlyweds the year after – but it’s been a very rocky ride.
Are Trixie and Matthew still together? Fans will have to wait and see as Call the Midwife returns for new episodes.
Helen plays the role of Trixie so wonderfully and is undoubtedly a fan favourite, so let’s take a look inside the actress’s life away from the popular show.
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Helen George has played Trixie Franklin in Call the Midwife since the show launched in 2012 (Image: Neal Street Productions/BBC)
Helen, 40, was born on June 19, 1984, in Harborne, Birmingham, her mother was a social worker and her father was a political science professor.
She attended the Royal Academy of Music after attending the Birmingham Royal Ballet as a junior associate. Before landing the role of Trixie she starred in a string of other popular TV show including Hollyoaks, Hotel Babylon, Doctors, and The Three Musketeers.
Call the Midwife is the biggest role for Helen to date with the actress also starring in the short film The Monster, Red Dwarf, Nativity Rocks! and D.I. Ray.
She also appeared on in 2015 when she was partnered with Aljaž Skorjanec. The pair did well in the competition and finished in sixth place.
Helen George and Aljaz Skorjanec took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2015 (Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Helen has an incredible singing voice and recently returned to the stage in the production The King and I at The London Palladium.
She reprised her role as Anna when the production returned for a limited six-week at the beginning of the year, and showed off her acting and vocal skills.
Set in 1860s Bangkok, The King and I tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher.
Helen played the British schoolteacher who is hired by the King of Siam to educate his many wives and children.
Helen George played a main role in the production of The King & I (Image: Getty)
Helen was married to actor Oliver Boot, but they divorced after three years of marriage. The split came weeks before Helen started her stint on the dance competition in 2015.
In 2016, Helen started dating Jack Ashton. During series three of , viewers saw Trixie catch the eye of Reverend Tom Hereward, played by Ashton, while attending to expectant mothers who were serving time in prison.
Eventually, Trixie and Tom fell in love, but their relationship didn’t stand the test of time. Being a strong-willed woman meant Trixie couldn’t adapt to life as a vicar’s wife and heartbreakingly called time on their romance.
Helen George as Trixie in an earlier episode of Call the Midwife (Image: Neal Street Productions/BBC)
However, off-screen love wonderfully blossomed between the two Call the Midwife co-stars. Fiction blurred with reality when Helen and Jack got together in real life.
The pair reportedly first started dating in 2016 after filming the Call the Midwife Christmas special in South Africa.
In September 2017, the couple welcomed their adorable little girl, Wren Ivy, into the world, and four years later their youngest daughter Lark was born in November 2021.
Helen George and Jack Ashton met while filming Call the Midwife (Image: Getty)
However, in July 2023, the couple announced they had split after seven years together.
The exes’ statement read: “Some months ago, we separated. Our two beautiful girls remain the focus and I respectfully ask for privacy for this next chapter.”
Helen is thought to be single but tends to keep her private life out of the public eye.
Call the Midwife returns for the annual Christmas special on Chirstmas Day and Boxing Day