Aimée Kelly

Kelly is from Fenham in the west-end of Newcastle upon Tyne. She attended Sacred Heart Catholic High School, where her English teacher persuaded her to go into performing arts when she was 11. She had been interested in film from a young age. She took extra-curricular drama lessons at the Sage Academy with her twin Katie. Kelly won a scholarship to attend Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire for sixth form as a boarding student.^[2][3] Before being cast in Sket, Kelly worked as a waitress in a bar and as a shop assistant. She later went to university in Leeds.^[4]

At 16, Kelly auditioned for the role of Minnie McGuinness in the E4 series Skins. After this audition, casting director Jane Ripley contacted Kelly about a film. Kelly landed the role of Kayla Richards in Sket, marking Kelly's debut film. The film earned her a nomination for Best British Newcomer at the 2011 BFI London Film Festival.^[2]

The following year, Kelly was cast in the lead role of Madeline "Maddy" Smith in the CBBC series Wolfblood. In 2013 for the show's second series, she was nominated for Best Performer at the British Academy Children's Awards for her performance as Maddy in the CBBC series Wolfblood.^[5] It was announced in 2014 that Kelly would exit Wolfblood ahead of its third series to make time for university.^[6] She wrote "It wasn't an easy decision but sometimes education comes first! Thank you so much to all of you that supported me along the way!"^[7]

Kelly returned to acting in 2017, appearing in the play Hyem at the Theatre503. In 2019 and 2020, she had film roles in Armando Iannucci's The Personal History of David Copperfield and the Roger Michell's The Duke respectively. The former premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and the latter, at the Venice Film Festival. In 2023, Kelly had a main role in the Apple TV+ thriller Hijack^[8] and starred in a one-woman show adaptation of Eliza Clark's novel Boy Parts at the Soho Theatre.^[9]

Kelly met photographer Alex Bibby while studying in Leeds and began a relationship. They were originally going to marry on their tenth anniversary, but the wedding was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They officially married in September 2022 at Burgh House in North London.^[4] The couple had their first son in March 2022.^[10][11] They had their second son in late January 2024. He was not due until early February however they opted for a Planned c section.^[12]

• "Brave" (2022), Ella Henderson

• Aimée Kelly at IMDb
• Aimée Kelly at Spotlight
• Aimée Kelly on X