Background
Gumede was born in Burnley, Lancashire and lived in Colne during her early life, attending first Christ Church Chamber of East Primary School and then Park High School. Her father is Zimbabwean and her mother is of English descent.
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Natalie Gumede
Edit ProfileEducation
She attended the London Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts graduating with a Bachelor Honours in 2003 from a three-year course in Acting.
Career
She is best known for playing Kirsty Soames in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street from 2011 to 2013. She previously played China in British Broadcasting Corporation Three comedy show Ideal. She has also appeared in The Persuasionists, Emmerdale and Doctor Who among other television shows.
Gumede was a runner-up in the 2013 series of Strictly Come Dancing on British Broadcasting Corporation One.
Her grandfather Josiah Gumede was the only President of the short-lived Zimbabwe-Rhodesia. At the age of 11 while attending Pendle Hippodrome Youth Theatre, she was picked by British Broadcasting Corporation producers to help present the north-west regional insert for Children in Need in 1995.
Her character featured in the pilot episode, and was a regular in the first three series. In 2008, she featured in her first full length film, Clubbed, a British drama about a 1980s factory worker who takes up a job as a club doorman.
In 2005, Gumede made a guest appearance in the Independent Television soap opera, Emmerdale, portraying Tania Coles.
In 2010, Gumede featured in the sitcom The Persuasionists, broadcast on British Broadcasting Corporation Two, set in the world of advertising, starring Iain Lee, Simon Farnaby, Adam Buxton, Jarred Christmas and Daisy Haggard. In September 2011, Gumede made her first appearance in the Independent Television soap opera, Coronation Street, portraying Kirsty Soames, who became the domestic abusive love interest to mechanic Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall). She had previously tried out for the part of Kelly Crabtree, but lost out to Tupele Dorgu.
She was later nominated for Best Soap Newcomer at the television Choice Awards and voted Most Popular Newcomer during the 18th National Television Awards.
On 21 February 2013, it was announced that she would leave the soap after a year-and-a-half, and departed when her character, Kirsty, went to prison on 3 April 2013. lieutenant was announced that Gumede would return to the soap opera in March 2016 for a guest stint of four episodes, which was later extended to eight.
As of 2015, she plays the role of Bella in the Independent Television series Jekyll & Hyde. Strictly Come Dancing
In 2013, Gumede was a runner-up on the eleventh series of Strictly Come Dancing.
They quickly became the early favourites for the title after a strong start.
In the Final, she lost out to Abbey Clancy & Aljaz Skorjanec and came Joint second along with Susanna Reid & Kevin Clifton. Filmography
Guest television appearances
Daybreak (24 May 2012)
Loose Women (10 February 2012, 21 January 2013)
British Soap Awards (May 2013)
The One Show (9 January 2014)
Lorraine (15 December 2014)
Independent Television News (21 January 2015)
National Television Awards (21 January 2015)
Film/stage
Commercials.
Achievements
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Foreign her portrayal of the character, Gumede had received the Best Newcomer accolade at the 2012 British Soap Awards. In Digital Spy"s end of year reader poll, Kirsty"s domestic abuse storyline with on-screen boyfriend Tyrone won Best Storyline with 28.3% of the vote. Her professional partner was the eighth series champion, Artem Chigvintsev.
