Millie Gibson is one of the UK's hottest young talents. The 19-year-old from Manchester has been acting since she was a child, but rose to fame for her gritty portrayal of Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street.
After three years on the cobbles, Millie has waved goodbye to Weatherfield and landed a huge new role in Doctor Who season 14 as one of the youngest companions to set foot in the TARDIS.
Millie is playing Ruby Sunday, the new sidekick to the 15th Doctor, and will make her on-screen debut in the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2023.
Speaking about her role in the cult sci-fi show, Millie said: “Whilst still being in total disbelief, I am beyond honored 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 traveled 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 was hidden under an umbrella going onto the Doctor Who set!
When Millie was first cast in Doctor Who it was obviously a huge secret. And to make sure that no photographers could snap her going onto the set, Millie was hidden under a brolly! "I was being sneaked on to set under a brolly and a coat so no one could see who I was, and when I asked, 'Can I see the TARDIS?' they were like, 'Nope, we have to get you back out now!'"
Millie did of course finally get to film in the TARDIS. "The TARDIS was my favorite place to film. We kept swinging off the bars, and people were going, 'Millie, can you just stop that?'"
Millie 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. The school has welcomed plenty of big names through its doors, including stars like Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley), Suranne Jones (Vigil), and ex-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 to put 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 the lead character, Maxine, who realized she was 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 recognized Millie's talent and she returned 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."
When she posted on Instagram about leaving the series, she said: "It’s with a very heavy, but full heart that it is time to say goodbye to Kelly Neelan. These past 4 years have been like no other and I can’t begin to describe how much I’m going to miss this place and the people in it."
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 chat 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. 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.'”
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. However, she is reportedly dating music label owner Tom Neatis and was snapped on holiday with him in April 2023.
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.
