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Rachel Stevens |
Rachel began modeling at the age of 15 and became a member of British pop/TV sensation in 1999. That gig lasted four years, after which she inked a deal with Polydor Records to produce four albums. Her debut single, "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex," peaked at No. 2 in the UK. The second, "Some Girls," matched her debut’s success in Britain, while her album, Funky Dory, did much better on the UK charts after being reissued with additional tracks in 2004. Rachel also participated in the Band Aid 20 remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" later that year.
2005 was a relatively quiet year for Rachel on the acting front. She played Louisa the Dirty Girl opposite Rob Schneider in the largely unseen sequel Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, and Jane Mary in the even-less-seen British made-for-TV movie Spider-Plant Man with Rowan Atkinson. On the music front, her second album, Come And Get It, was released. It sold a disappointing 60,000 copies in her native UK despite having produced two top 10 singles. On the upside, Rachel received a Glammy Award for Woman of the Year from the British edition of Glamour magazine in June, as well as Most Fanciable Female at the Smash Hits Pollwinners’ Party.
We'll most likely be seeing Rachel starring as Gwen in a BBC3 spinoff of Doctor Who called Torchwood. Her final audition to land the racy role happens early in the year, and not a moment too soon for the model-turned-singer–turned-actress, who recently said: "I so hope I get it as I'm sick of being attacked for my music." Speaking of music, her third solo album is set for release in the spring on 19 Management's record label.