Who is Emma Barton? Meet the Strictly Come Dancing 2019 finalist and EastEnders star
Emma Barton, best known for her role as Honey Mitchell in British soap opera EastEnders, will be embracing the glitz and glamour of the Strictly dance floor
She's been on our screens since 2003, but how will EastEnders' Emma Barton fare when she swaps Albert Square for the Blackpool Tower Ballroom? The actress is not completely new to the dance floor, but Strictly Come Dancing is a challenge even for the best - but it's a challenge Emma has smashed from start to finish.
Here is everything you need to know about one of this year's Strictly Come Dancing contestants:
Who is Emma Barton, and who does she play in EastEnders?
Emma is best-known as EastEnders' Honey Mitchell. She has been in the role from 2005 to 2008, briefly in 2014, and then continuously from 2015 onwards.
Honey Mitchell is an Albert Square favourite; the character has been through breakups, had her kids hit by cars, and had a child born with Down's syndrome.
The laundrette worker-turned-barmaid-turned-shop-assistant has been a mainstay of EastEnders' endless drama but Emma Barton has insisted that her off-stage personality is the opposite of Honey's. She does, however, admit she shares her tendency to lose words, especially when she is nervous. Let's hope that the stress of the Strictly ballroom doesn't prove too much.
Age: 42
Twitter: @EmmaBarton
Instagram: N/A
What is Emma Barton known for? Emma is famous for playing Honey Mitchell in BBC's EastEnders
Who is Emma Barton's professional partner? Anton Du Beke
What other TV shows has Emma Barton been in?
Whilst undoubtedly recognisable as Honey, Emma actually started her TV career in BBC's MI-5 drama, Spooks. She has also had roles in both the medical soap Doctors, and the 2013 crime thriller Who Needs Enemies.
Strictly Come Dancing won't be Emma's first foray into celebrity competitions, having taken part in Celebrity Masterchef – although she was eliminated almost immediately. Hopefully she'll have better luck dancing the salsa than she did making salsa.
Does Emma Barton have previous dance experience?
Emma Barton, a self-professed super fan of Strictly Come Dancing, is no stranger to dance herself. The star has been in a number of stage productions during her time as an actress, starring as Roxie Hart during a tour of Chicago in 2009 as well as taking on roles in musicals Grease, Love Sick and Thoroughly Modern Millie.
It remains to be seen whether this will play off as an advantage when it comes to taking home the glitterball trophy... but Emma has been quick to back-peddle on her previous experience.
"That was 10 years ago and I haven’t really done anything since being on telly," she said. "But I have got musicality, I’ve got good ear for music so I hope that will help me."
Strictly Come Dancing concludes Saturday at 7.05pm on BBC One
