Career
She started her career in the hit British Broadcasting Corporation children"s drama Byker Grove, playing the role of Emma Miller for seven years. She left the show in 2003 to pursue a singing career after signing to Sony United Kingdom. She appeared on various television shows promoting her single "Little Mission Perfect" under the name Summer Matthews. The song"s instrumentation consists of a guitar and synthesizer.
An editor from Cambridge News noted that "Little Mission Perfect" is reminiscent of songs released by Canadian recording artist, Avril Lavigne.
However, they felt that it was "not the worst single ever made", although "not one you"re likely to remember either." Matt Gray of The Digital Fix wrote that the song "doesn"t quite scan", and joked that it has "all the ferocity and attitude of a cute ickle Care Bear. He also felt that "Amy Studt and Avril Lavigne do it a lot better" and went on to describe it as a "bland, uninspired popular tune".
"Little Mission Perfect" peaked at number 32 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart for the issue dated 28 February 2004. Some of the shows she appeared on were Top of the Pops Saturday, Music Television, TRL, Dick and Dom, The Box, Rhode Island:Southeast, Disney, Trouble, CBBC, Xchange, The Saturday Show, The Chart Show and Blue Peter.
She attended the British drama school East 15 in 2005, and left after winning a high-profile role in the British Broadcasting Corporation drama Waterloo Road, playing the bully Leigh-Ann Galloway.
Since that role, Matthews has continued to act in British Broadcasting Corporation"s Doctors, playing Connie Whitfield. In Independent Television"s The Bill playing drug addict Josie Clarke. And she was back in the British Broadcasting Corporation soap Doctors in 2009, playing Tansy Flack.
Matthews gave birth five weeks early to a daughter, Brooke early in 2011.
At five months old Brooke was diagnosed with meningitis, which Matthews herself had at seven years old.
