Casualty star Elinor Lawless is married to fellow actor Peter Basham, who fans may recognise from EastEnders

Elinor Lawless is no stranger to medical dramas.

For use in UK, Ireland or Benelux countries only Undated BBC handout photo of Elinor Lawless, who will be joining Casualty in the role of Stevie. PA Photo. Issue date: Thursday May 20, 2021. See PA story SHOWBIZ Casualty. Photo credit should read: Alistair Heap/BBC/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: Not for use more than 21 days after issue. You may use this picture without charge only for the purpose of publicising or reporting on current BBC programming, personnel or other BBC output or activity within 21 days of issue. Any use after that time MUST be cleared through BBC Picture Publicity. Please credit the image to the BBC and any named photographer or independent programme maker, as described in the caption. (Image: PA)

The star from Draperstown in County Derry joined the cast of long-standing BBC One show, Casualty, as Dr Stevie Nash back in 2021 a consultant with a dark past who’s out for revenge against her new colleagues.

Elinor’s arrival on Casualty came at a significant time, as the beloved medical drama marked its 35th anniversary.

But the 42 year old actress had revealed she hoped to honour doctors and nurses through her role, drawing from her personal health experiences.

As at just three years old, she was diagnosed with a hole in her heart and anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, a condition where blood flows incorrectly through the heart.

This led to open-heart surgery in Belfast when she was seven, from which she fully recovered.

These days, away from the cameras, Elinor is married to fellow actor Peter Basham, who played PC Anthony Rogers in EastEnders in 2019.

Before his return to EastEnders, Peter had small parts in Skyfall (2012) and the popular detective series Sherlock (2012). He also landed a role in Inception (2010), where he worked alongside Cillian Murphy.

Peter and Elinor are proud parents to their young son, Joe, who occasionally features on Elinor’s Instagram posts.

Joe was born prematurely and was really tiny, weighing just 2.2 kilograms, and had to stay in a special baby unit for 10 days.

Elinor expressed her gratitude towards the NHS for their excellent care of both her and her son, saying: “My little boy was in hospital for ten days and I saw how accomplished and adept the staff are. They looked after my little boy like a nest egg.”

She added: “I have a huge amount of respect for the NHS and it’s an honour to get to create these amazing characters and tell these amazing stories. And for the last couple of years the NHS has been a tour de force. I feel so privileged to be part of a show that shines a light on that.”

Elinor is also active on X, formerly Twitter, where she frequently updates her fans and promotes her work.

Before landing the role of Stevie, the actress had a range of TV roles under her belt. In 2019, she also appeared in EastEnders as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, guiding character Ruby Allen through her court case following a rape incident, reports MyLondon.

She also featured in Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators (2018) and Doctors (2019).