Helen Pearson

For the editor of Nature, see Helen Pearson (science journalist). For the English presenter and journalist, née Pearson, see Helen Carnell.

Helen Pearson (born 16 November 1959) is a British actress who has been in three major soap operas, EastEnders (during 1990, as April McIntosh), Emmerdale (from 2000 to 2001, as Carol Wareing), and Hollyoaks (from 2002 until 2017, as Frankie Osborne).

Helen Pearson
Born	(1959-11-16) 16 November 1959 (age 66) Leicester, Leicestershire, England
Years active	1986–present
Television	EastEnders (1990) Emmerdale (2000–2001) Hollyoaks (2002–2017)
Spouse	Paul Faulkner ​ (m. 2013)​
Relatives	Richard Cadell (brother)

Career

Her first acting role was in 1987, playing a Nurse in The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. She also played April in EastEnders in the early 1990s.

She has also appeared in the television dramas The Darling Buds of May and Murder in Mind.

Before making her Hollyoaks debut, she also played the character Mrs. Atkins in Attachments.

On Halloween 2017, after having been the longest-serving female on Hollyoaks as Frankie Osborne for 15 years, the character was killed off and Pearson left the show.

Personal life

Pearson married Paul Faulkner in 2013.^[1] In 2015, she was convicted of driving under the influence.^[2] She is the older sister of Richard Cadell, the incumbent puppeteer for Sooty, and appeared with her brother in the 2013 episode "The Dance Competition".

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole	Nurse	5 episodes
1988	Consuming Passions	Supermarket Assistant	Film
1989	Close to Home	Winnie	Episode: "Helen's Parents"
1990	EastEnders	April McIntosh	Recurring role, 14 episodes
1991, 1993, 1994, 1996	The Bill	Mrs. Styles / Sonia Philips / Jenny Clifford / Mrs. Beaty	4 episodes
1992	The Darling Buds of May	Polly	Episode: "Le Grand Weekend"
1996	A Touch of Frost	Addie Parsons[3]	Episode: "Fun Times for Swingers"
1997	Holding On	Paula	Episode #1.1
2000	Inspector Morse	Debbie Rep[4]	Episode: "The Remorseful Day"
2000–2001	Emmerdale	Carol Wareing	Series regular, 79 episodes
2000, 2002	Attachments	Mrs. Atkins	2 episodes
2002	Murder in Mind	Sophie Cunningham	Episode: "Disposal"
2002–2017	Hollyoaks	Frankie Osborne[5]	Series regular
2013	Cold	Blonde Woman	Film
2013	Sooty	Dame Helena Pearsona	Episode: "The Dance Competition"
2017	Lorna	Lorna	Short
2018, 2021	Doctors	Beth Rundle / Regan Hoffman[6]	Episodes: "No Fury Like a Woman" and "The Unkindest Cut"
2019	Rome in Love	Vivien Daniels	Television film