# Jessica Plummer
**Jessica Plummer** (full name Jessica Kate Plummer) is an English actress and singer, born in 1992 in [Wandsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/wandsworth), London, who first came to public attention as a member of the girl group Neon Jungle and became widely known for playing Chantelle Atkins in the BBC soap opera *EastEnders* from 2019 to 2020[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/) • [2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021). Her leading role as Emma in the 2021 [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) and [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max) psychological thriller *The Girl Before* earned her a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Supporting Actress[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/awards/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1992, Wandsworth, London, England; birth name Jessica Kate Plummer[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/) |
| Music career | One fourth of the girl group Neon Jungle; performed the single "Trouble" alongside Taylor Swift at the 2013 Victoria's Secret fashion show[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021) |
| Breakthrough acting role | Chantelle Atkins in *EastEnders*, March 2019 to September 2020, in a domestic abuse storyline ending in the character's murder[4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Plummer) |
| Awards | Inside Soap Award for Best Actress (2020); BAFTA TV Award nominee, Supporting Actress, for *The Girl Before* (2022)[5](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/1123/1179949-eastenders-the-big-winner-at-inside-soap-awards/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/awards/) |
| Reality television | Contestant on the 20th series of *I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!* in 2020, finishing 7th of 12 celebrities[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/) |
| Signature drama role | Emma in *The Girl Before* (2021), a four-part adaptation of J.P. Delaney's novel, opposite Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021) |
| Later screen work | *The After* (2023), *The Decameron* (2024), and *Missing You* (2025)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/) |
## Music career with Neon Jungle
Plummer was scouted while out shopping in London, aged 20, and joined the girl group Neon Jungle[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021). In a separate account she described being spotted on a bench on [Brick Lane](https://www.edgepedia.org/brick-lane) in [East London](https://www.edgepedia.org/east-london) by someone who asked whether she could sing; she had a recording of herself singing on her phone, checked that he was legitimate, and joined[7](https://www.abookof.us/nextchapters/jessica-plummer).
The group's debut single "Trouble" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 12, and its second single "Braveheart" reached number 4 in January 2013[8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Plummer). Neon Jungle performed "Trouble" alongside [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift) at the 2013 [Victoria's Secret](https://www.edgepedia.org/victorias-secret) fashion show, and Plummer has described finding herself in New York for the event as a sudden turn in her life[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021) • [7](https://www.abookof.us/nextchapters/jessica-plummer). The debut album *Welcome to the Jungle* was released in 2014 and reached number eight in the UK charts; the group disbanded the following year, in 2015, and Plummer returned to acting[8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/). She has said that singing was never her main passion and that she joined the group "on a whim"[8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/).
## Early acting and EastEnders
Acting came first chronologically in Plummer's account of her two careers, and her first screen appearance was in two episodes of the British science fantasy series *Wizards vs Aliens* in 2013[7](https://www.abookof.us/nextchapters/jessica-plummer) • [8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/). A small part in the 2017 film *How to Talk to Girls at Parties*, a romantic comedy directed by [John Cameron Mitchell](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-cameron-mitchell) and based on a [Neil Gaiman](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-gaiman) short story, starring [Elle Fanning](https://www.edgepedia.org/elle-fanning) and Nicole Kidman, raised her profile[9](https://airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/jessica-plummer-803) • [8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/).
After time away to travel and to have her daughter, Plummer found the audition process had shifted toward self-tapes and was not booking parts; she has said she considered leaving acting altogether after a series of rejections[9](https://airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/jessica-plummer-803) • [8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/). In March 2019 she secured the role of Chantelle Atkins in *EastEnders*, a young wife and mother suffering years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her husband [Gray Atkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/gray-atkins) (Toby-Alexander Smith)[8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.co.uk/articles/who-should-win-baftas-must-see-moment-here-are-the-nominees-and-how-to-vote-eastenders-12105/). When Chantelle finally summoned the courage to leave, Gray murdered her; the character's death in September 2020 ended Plummer's run on the show[10](https://www.tvguide.co.uk/articles/who-should-win-baftas-must-see-moment-here-are-the-nominees-and-how-to-vote-eastenders-12105/) • [4](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Plummer).
The storyline drew wide attention. The scene in which Gray kills Chantelle was nominated for BAFTA's publicly voted Virgin Media Must-See Moment of 2020[10](https://www.tvguide.co.uk/articles/who-should-win-baftas-must-see-moment-here-are-the-nominees-and-how-to-vote-eastenders-12105/), and Plummer's performance was credited by charities and legal firms with bringing awareness to the plight of domestic violence victims[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021). At the 2020 Inside Soap Awards she won Best Actress for the role, calling it "probably one of the biggest achievements of my career"[5](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/1123/1179949-eastenders-the-big-winner-at-inside-soap-awards/). She has described *EastEnders* as a training ground: the cast shot up to fifteen scenes a day, and colleagues told her that "if you can do *EastEnders*, you can do anything"[11](https://1883magazine.com/jessica-plummer/).
In November 2020, shortly after leaving the soap, she took part in the 20th series of ITV's *I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!*, staged that year in a Welsh castle rather than the Australian jungle, and finished 7th of 12 celebrities[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/) • [8](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/).
## The Girl Before
*The Girl Before*, a four-part adaptation of J.P. Delaney's bestselling thriller, became Plummer's most high-profile role[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021). She plays Emma, a young woman who moves into One Folgate Street, an ultra-minimalist smart house built and owned by the architect Edward Monkford ([David Oyelowo](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-oyelowo)), to escape the trauma of a burglary; her timeline interweaves with that of Jane ([Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://www.edgepedia.org/gugu-mbatha-raw)), the woman who rents the house three years later, and the two women bear a striking resemblance to each other[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021) • [12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-girl-before-tv-review-2022). The series was directed by Lisa Brühlmann, known for *Killing Eve*, and premiered on BBC One on 19 December 2021, streaming on HBO Max in the United States[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021) • [9](https://airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/jessica-plummer-803).
Plummer prepared for the role by working with a therapist to understand her character's trauma and coping mechanisms, and with an acting coach over Zoom[13](https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/tv/bbc-girl-before-exclusive-interview-jessica-plummer/603054) • [2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021). Her audition itself was a Zoom session that went wrong in nearly every way: she blanked on the first take, the doorbell rang through the second, and her daughter fell off a trampoline during the third[14](https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/bafta-tv-sessions-2022-supporting-actress/). She was cast after a recall, and the BAFTA session host introduced her as "brilliant in the role"[14](https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/bafta-tv-sessions-2022-supporting-actress/).
Critics were divided on the series but frequently singled out the performances. The show's aggregate Metascore on Metacritic was 55, in the "mixed or average" band[15](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-girl-before/critic-reviews/). IndieWire called Mbatha-Raw and Plummer "powerhouses"[15](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-girl-before/critic-reviews/), and the RogerEbert.com review described Plummer's Emma as "the biggest surprise of the ensemble," a more volatile and brittle presence than Jane[12](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-girl-before-tv-review-2022). The London *Standard* took a less favorable view of her performance, calling her "not the most subtle of actresses"[16](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-girl-before-bbc-one-review-gugu-mbatha-raw-david-oyelowo-b972046.html). Plummer received a 2022 BAFTA TV Award nomination for Supporting Actress for the role[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/awards/).
## Later work
After *The Girl Before*, Plummer appeared in David Oyelowo's short film *The After* (2023), which her management describes as a 2024 Academy Award-nominated short, and took roles as Filomena in the Netflix series *The Decameron* (2024) and Stacey Embalo in the [Harlan Coben](https://www.edgepedia.org/harlan-coben) adaptation *Missing You* (2025)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/) • [17](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/jessica-plummer/).
## Personal life
Plummer was brought up in [South London](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-london) by a Jamaican father and an English mother[9](https://airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/jessica-plummer-803). Her daughter Noa was born in 2016, when Plummer was 23; the child's father is her ex-boyfriend Jaz Hutchins[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/). She has spoken about co-parenting Noa with her former partner and about the importance of on-screen representation for her daughter, recalling that growing up she believed being beautiful meant looking like Cinderella[2](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021).
## References
1. [Jessica Plummer – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/bio/)
2. [The Girl Before star Jessica Plummer on representing diversity on-screen, GLAMOUR UK](https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/the-girl-before-jessica-plummer-interview-2021)
3. [Jessica Plummer – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/awards/)
4. [Jessica Plummer, EastEnders Wiki](https://eastenders.fandom.com/wiki/Jessica_Plummer)
5. [EastEnders the big winner at Inside Soap Awards, RTÉ Entertainment](https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2020/1123/1179949-eastenders-the-big-winner-at-inside-soap-awards/)
6. [Jessica Plummer, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6901925/)
7. [Jessica Plummer is "The Girl Before", A Book Of Magazine](https://www.abookof.us/nextchapters/jessica-plummer)
8. [The Sky's the Limit for Jessica Plummer, Country & Town House](https://www.countryandtownhouse.com/culture/jessica-plummer-interview/)
9. [Interview: Jessica Plummer From "The Girl Before", Air Mail Arts Intel](https://airmail.news/arts-intel/highlights/jessica-plummer-803)
10. [BAFTA Must-See Moment nominees, TV Guide UK](https://www.tvguide.co.uk/articles/who-should-win-baftas-must-see-moment-here-are-the-nominees-and-how-to-vote-eastenders-12105/)
11. [Jessica Plummer, 1883 Magazine](https://1883magazine.com/jessica-plummer/)
12. [The Girl Before movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-girl-before-tv-review-2022)
13. [The Girl Before: exclusive interview with Jessica Plummer, Stylist](https://www.stylist.co.uk/entertainment/tv/bbc-girl-before-exclusive-interview-jessica-plummer/603054)
14. [BAFTA TV Sessions 2022: Supporting Actress, BAFTA](https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/bafta-tv-sessions-2022-supporting-actress/)
15. [The Girl Before critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-girl-before/critic-reviews/)
16. [The Girl Before on BBC One review, Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-girl-before-bbc-one-review-gugu-mbatha-raw-david-oyelowo-b972046.html)
17. [Jessica Plummer, B-Side Management](https://theb-side.co.uk/management/jessica-plummer/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames N to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license