Actress Millie Gibson is one of the UK's hottest young talents. The 19-year-old from Manchester has been acting since she was a nipper, but rose to fame for her gritty portrayal of Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street.
After three years on the cobbles, Millie waved goodbye to Weatherfield and has landed her biggest role to date, as the companion in the 14th series of Doctor Who.
Millie is playing Ruby Sunday, sidekick to the new Time Lord (Ncuti Gatwa) and will make her on-screen debut over the festive season in 2023.
Speaking about her role in the cult sci-fi show, Millie said: “Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honoured to be cast as the Doctor’s companion. It is a gift of a role, and a dream come true, and I will do everything to try and fill the boots the fellow companions have travelled in before me. I just can’t wait to get started.”
Fans are eagerly anticipating Ruby Sunday's debut, but what else is there to know about the girl who plays her? Here are a few facts about Millie you may not know...
Millie Gibson trained at a renowned theatre school
Amelia Eve Gibson was born on June 19, 2004 in Greater Manchester and was raised in the Tameside village of Broadbottom.
Educated at the Blue Coat School in Oldham, Millie discovered her love of acting at a very young age.
She was a pupil at the legendary Oldham Theatre Workshop, which was founded in 1968 by the late David Johnson. Its former alumni includes big names such as Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), Suranne Jones (Vigil) and former Emmerdale star Kelvin Fletcher.
It was during Millie's time at Oldham Theatre Workshop that she was spotted by a talent scout from Manchester Media City agency Scream Management, who didn't hesitate putting her on their books.
She was a children's TV star
Millie made her TV debut at the age of 13, playing the part of Indira Cave in the CBBC show Jamie Johnson. Her role continued in the second and third series and in total she appeared in 17 episodes.
In November 2017, Millie played Mia in an episode of BBC One drama Love, Lies and Records.
And following year she appeared in the three-part ITV drama series Butterfly. Millie starred as Lily Duffy, the older sister of lead character Maxine, who realises she's a transgender girl.
Soapland came calling in 2019 when Millie was cast to play troubled teen Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street. Her original stint only lasted five episodes, but the producers quickly recognised Millie's talent and she retuned as a regular character.
She's an award-winning actress
Millie's character Kelly packed a lot of drama into her three years on the Street.
Her storylines included being involved in a high-profile hate crime, dealing with the death of her mother from cancer, being kidnapped and held hostage and getting found guilty of murder. Phew!
Millie's incredible performance earnt her the award for Best Young Actor at the 2022 British Soap Awards.
During her acceptance speech, the humble star said: "I've been unbelievably lucky to be given the most hard-hitting and compelling storylines and I'm forever honoured by that."
We hope Millie has made some space on her mantlepiece — or downstairs loo — as those trophies are bound to keep coming!
She has a distinctive feature
Eagled-eyed viewers may have noticed Millie has a distinctive mark on her right eyebrow. However, it's not what most people think...
The actress was quizzed about her identifiable mark during a chat with Lorraine Kelly on her ITV titular show.
Millie set the record straight, revealing: "It's a scar!"
"I fell down the stairs as a baby and the hair’s just never grown back, but everyone thinks I’ve done it myself. In all my baby pictures I look like a right thug!"
Millie's a fan of her distinguishable scar and said it worked well when playing her character in Coronation Street.
Millie's acting idol is Jodie Comer
Millie's star is on the rise and the ambitious actress has dreams of following in the footsteps of her acting idol, Jodie Comer.
Sharing her adoration for the Killing Eve star during a chat on ITV's Lorraine, Millie gushed: "Oh I love Jodie Comer. I'm just obsessed with her."
She continued: "I recently watched her show in London, Prima Facie, and that was just unbelievable. All of her work is incredible and her career path is just idealistic for me."
Jodie has certainly succeeded in cracking Hollywood, might Millie be next?
She was having a spray tan when she got the call for Doctor Who
2022 was a huge year for Millie, who beat off stiff competition to become the newest companion in Doctor Who.
Millie is taking on the role of Ruby Sunday, opposite Ncuti Gatawa who is going to be the Fifteenth Doctor to control of the TARDIS.
But you probably wouldn't be able to guess where Millie was when the call came in to say she'd won the part of Ruby.
"I went to get a spray tan for the NTAs, and I was in the room waiting to dry off when I got this WhatsApp call, asking me to join the call with all my agents," she told Doctor Who magazine.
"I picked up the phone and they were like, ‘Are you good at keeping secrets?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ They said, ‘Are you really good at keeping secrets? Cos you’ve got it.'”
Now that's definitely a story to tell the grandkids!
She loves to travel
Millie clearly a girl consumed by wanderlust and loves to explore foreign destinations.
The actress has posted snaps of some of her sun-soaked getaways on her Instagram account, where she sampled some of the local delicacies.
These include enjoying rooftop ice creams in the Greek island of Skiathos, takeaway pizzas in La Maddalena in Italy, and drinking wine in Rome.
Now that's the life!
Millie Gibson's fact file
Frequently asked questions about the star...
How old is Millie Gibson?
Millie Gibson is 19, she was born on 19th June 2004.
Is Millie Gibson married?
Millie Gibson is not married.
Does Millie Gibson have any children?
Millie Gibson does not have any children
Where was Millie Gibson born?
Millie Gibson was born in Tameside, Greater Manchester.
How tall is Millie Gibson?
Millie Gibson is five foot two.
Instagram: @milliegibbo
Twitter: @MillieGibson01
We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.
