Ricky Whittle
| Ricky Whittle | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Richard Whittle November 23, 1981[1] Oldham, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | University of Southampton (B.A., Criminology) |
| Years active | 2003– |
| Website | |
| www.rickywhittle.com | |
Ricky Whittle is an English actor from Oldham, Greater Manchester.[2] He is best known for his role as Calvin in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks, he came second to Chris Hollins in Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.
Biography
The son of former Royal Air Force serviceman Harry Whittle, Whittle grew up travelling with his father's career around the world, with a home base at Burghfield Common near Reading, Berkshire.[3]
A keen sportsman, Whittle represented England and the United Kingdom at youth level in football, rugby, American football and athletics. After having been watched by Arsenal and Celtic, an injury brought about the pursuit of a degree in criminology at the University of Southampton.
Career
At university, Whittle began modelling, becoming the face of a Reebok campaign in 2000. This brought him to the attention of casting agents for Sky One's Dream Team. Cast as Ryan Naysmith, Whittle left university to pursue an acting career. Carrying on with his sports ambitions, in the third series Whittle broke his leg in seven places, and was forced into a long hospital stay. The writers wrote a broken leg into the Dreamteam script, allowing Whittle a slower recuperation.
After playing his first gay character as a guest star on BBC One's Holby City, Whittle played Calvin Valentine in the popular Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, up until his character was killed off after Whittle decided to leave the show in May 2010.
In January 2008, Whittle appeared on a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link, reaching the final, but losing out to Crimewatch UK star, Rav Wilding.
In July 2012, Whittle appeared as Charles on VH1 season 2 of Single Ladies . He also appeared as Captain George East in Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) and Jerusha Hess's (Napoleon Dynamite) romantic comedy Austenland, completed in 2012.
In March 2013 Whittle appeared in hit US show NCIS, He played Lincoln, a criminal involved in a kidnapping.
Strictly Come Dancing
In August 2009, Whittle was announced as a contestant on the BBC One reality television series Strictly Come Dancing, paired with Australian professional dancer Natalie Lowe.[4] A fellow contestant on the programme, Ali Bastian, also starred with him in Hollyoaks. Whittle made it through to the final of the competition (beating Rav Wilding, to whom he had lost The Weakest Link in 2008), and competed against television presenter Chris Hollins and his dance partner Ola Jordan for the Strictly Come Dancing glitterball trophy. However, he lost the battle and ended up second, despite winning the judges' scores 190-186.
Personal life
From October 2007 Whittle was romantically involved with fellow Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson, who played Steph Cunningham,[5] residing in Billinge Higher End, Wigan, Greater Manchester.[6]
Having recovered from his broken leg, Whittle spends his spare time playing running back for the Manchester Titans American Football team.[7]
References
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1340638/.html
- ↑ "Soap star Ricky on way to Oldham". Oldham Evening Chronicle. 2008-09-09. p. 9
- ↑ http://www.rickywhittle.com/biography.html
- ↑ Full Strictly Come Dancing 2009 Line-up
- ↑ Lee, Cara (12 September 2008). "Ricky Id love to marry Carley". The Sun (London).
- ↑ http://www.sthelensstar.co.uk/news/4564360.Ricky_to_waltz_his_way_onto_Strictly_Come_Dancing/
- ↑ http://www.flagontheplay.co.uk/british_american_football_news_2.php
External links
- Ricky Whittle's official website
- Ricky Whittle at the Internet Movie Database
- Ricky's Charity
- Ricky Whittle interview
| Preceded by Rachel Stevens and Vincent Simone |
Strictly Come Dancing runner up (with partner Natalie Lowe) Series 7 (2009) |
Succeeded by Matt Baker and Aliona Vilani |
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