Helen George – things you didn't know about the Call the Midwife star

She's a film fan favourite as Call the Midwife's Trixie Franklin, but what else do we know about actress Helen George?

She has become a household name since joining the BBC drama Call the Midwife when it started back in 2012, earning a dedicated following of fans with her role as nurse Trixie Franklin. But there's more to Helen George than delivering babies on screen.

Here are seven things you might not have known about the actress...

Most fans of the actress will know that:

• She came 6th in the 13th series of Strictly Come Dancing
• Helen once saw a ghost while filming Call the Midwife Christmas special
• As well s Call the Midwife, Helen has appeared in shows like Hotel Babylon, Doctors and Scar Tissue to name but a few

But what else do we know about Helen? Here are several things you probably don't know...

Helen George: little known facts about the Call the Midwife star... 

1. She didn’t want to be a celebrity

Strictly Come Dancing fans will know Helen was paired with professional dancer Aljaz Skorjanec. But despite being booked because she was an actress, the term ‘celebrity’ has never sat well with Helen. She told the stage.co.uk “I didn’t want to become a celebrity, and when I was called a celebrity on the show, something cringed inside me and I didn’t feel comfortable with that at all.”

2. She wanted to be a football manager

While we couldn't imagine a world where Helen wasn't on our TV screens, she had a very different career aspiration when she was growing up. Her dad was a huge Aston Villa fan and so she always thought that she would like to be the first ever female manager of the football club. 

3. She is dating her co-star

They say you can find romance in the most unexpected places, and Helen certainly did that when she began dating her Call the Midwife co-star Jack Aston while they went to South Africa to film a Christmas special for the show. The pair now have a daughter, Wren Ivy, who was born in September 2017. 

4. She has sung with someone VERY famous

While she might be an actress, Helen is also an amazing singer, a talent that she has put to good use singing backing vocals for none other than music legend Sir Elton John. Helen has sung at Wembley and even the Royal Albert Hall. She told Metro.co.uk: “It was amazing but I was so young and arrogant at the time I was quite blasé about it all, and then we did the Royal Albert Hall and there were all these celebrities and powerful people in the audience. You’re fearless when you’re that age because of that slight arrogance. I’m different now – I’m completely neurotic.”

5. She takes her dogs to work

Helen rescued her dog Charlie after finding him living on the streets when he was just six months old. She told the Daily Mail: “He was so filthy and forlorn that we thought he was really old, but once we took him home and gave him a bath he started bounding around with joy and we discovered he was a six-month-old puppy. The lovely thing about Call the Midwife is that I can take the dogs to work. There are open fields near the area where we film, so I can walk them.”

6. She schedules in time to relax

With hectic filming schedules, it must be hard to find time to relax as an actress. But Helen has come up with a novel way to make sure she finds time to unwind. She told telegraph.co.uk: “I make myself have one night off a week where I go to the cinema or see a play. That’s important, otherwise life is just about one thing and you don’t feel rounded as a person.”

7. Winter is her favourite time of year 

Whilst most people spend the cold months dreaming of long summer’s nights and warmer weather, Helen loves nothing more than layering up and facing the chill. She told telegraph.co.uk: “I love winter, there’s something so romantic and twinkly about it. And I love the cosiness of it: drinking red wine and having a roast with friends.”

Helen George's Fact File 

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actress....

How old is she?

Helen George's age is 36. She was born on 19th June 1984.

Is she in a relationship?

Helen George is in a relationship with her former Call the Midwife co-star Jack Ashton.

Does she have kids?

Helen George and Jack Ashton have a daughter called Wren Ivy.

Where was she born?

Helen George was born in Birmingham.

How tall is she?

Helen George is 5ft 5.

Twitter: @helen_george

Instagram: @helengeorge

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.