Background
Danson was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, England.
Danson was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, England.
She is known for her portrayal of Leanne Battersby in the Independent Television soap opera Coronation Street between 1997 and 2000, and then from 2004 onwards. Her other television credits include Children"s Ward (1995–1997), The Grand (1997) and The Bill (2002–2003). At the age of 11, Danson made her television debut under the name Jane Dawson in the 1991 Alan Bleasdale series G.B.H. playing the part of Eileen Critchley.
From 1995 to 1997, Danson played the role of Paula in the Independent Television children"s television drama Children"s Ward.
In 1996, she also appeared in Out of Tune, a British children"s sitcom which was shown on CBBC. She also made an appearance in the first episode of the British Broadcasting Corporation"s Hetty Wainthropp Investigates which was aired in January 1996. In 1997, Danson landed parts in the Independent Television period drama series The Grand, in which she played the role of Monica Jones for seven episodes, and then in the top-rated Independent Television soap opera Coronation Street, playing teenager Leanne Battersby.
The Battersby family were dubbed the "Neighbours From Hell" and made an immediate impact on the long-running show"s loyal audience. Danson"s next role was as a nurse in the drama series A&East, before joining the cast of Independent Television police drama The Bill in 2002.
Danson portrayed Gemma Osbourne, the first lesbian police officer in the show"s history.
However, the role was short-lived and she left in 2003. In 2004, Danson rejoined the cast of Coronation Street as Leanne. In early 2006, it was announced that Danson was pregnant and she left Coronation Street at the end of July for maternity leave.
She returned to filming in January 2007, making her first appearance back on screen two months later.
In January 2007, Danson appeared in the second series of Soapstar Superstar but was eliminated after the overnight vote on the second show. However, a subsequent investigation into malpractice on the part of Independent Television in viewer voting revealed that while Danson and Tupele Dorgu were both put forward for elimination at the end of the first episode, it had in fact been Verity Rushworth and Leon Lopez who scored lowest in the poll and should therefore have been the two options.
Other Danson appeared on the first celebrity edition of Stars in Their Eyes. Alongside four other actresses from Coronation Street, they impersonated the Spice Girls.