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Leah BracknellBritish actress, yoga teacher and jewelry designer
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Lia Brecknell
Lia Brecknell is a British actress, yoga teacher, and jewelry designer. She gained fame for her portrayal of Zoe Tate, a veterinarian, lesbian, and schizophrenic, in the ITV soap opera 'Emmerdale'. Her role as Zoe earned her a nomination for the prestigious 'National Television Award' for 'Most Popular Actress' and she also won the 'British Soap Award'. Brecknell is a member of the Actors' Guild.
Alison Rosalind Brecknell, professionally known as Lia Brecknell, was born on July 12, 1964. Her father, David Ian Bracknell, was a British television director who passed away in 1987. Her mother, Li-Er Hwang, is a Chinese-Malaysian actress. Her parents met while filming the Richard Quine drama 'The World of Suzie Wong' in Hong Kong in 1959. David was an assistant director and Li-Er played the character of Wensday Lu. Lia anglicized her mother's name to Alison for her acting career.
Early Life and Career
Brecknell grew up in London and Oxford, and spent a year in New Zealand and Fiji. She first appeared on television in 1976 in the series 'The Chiffy Kids', which was directed by her father. After two years of studying at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, she became a cast member of the soap opera 'Emmerdale', where she played the role of Zoe Tate. She appeared on the show for 16 years with breaks, including two maternity leaves. Brecknell left 'Emmerdale' in 2005, originally planning to take a nine-month break, but never returned. Her character became the "first lesbian character in a British soap opera" and one of the "longest-running characters with a non-traditional orientation on television". Audiences appreciated how Lia portrayed Zoe's struggles with sexuality, mental health, and motherhood.
In 2002, Brecknell was nominated for the 'National Television Award' for 'Most Popular Actress' and the 'British Soap Awards' for 'Best Dramatic Performance'. In May 2006, she finally won the 'British Soap Award'. Her character Zoe Tate also participated in a scene (where she appears in court for attempted murder) that was nominated for the 'British Soap Award' for 'Most Spectacular Scene of the Year'.
After leaving 'Emmerdale', Brecknell returned to the theatre community and played Mrs. Manningham in the play 'Gaslight' and performed in 'Strangers on a Train'. Her co-star in 'Gaslight' was Peter Amory, who played Chris Tate in 'Emmerdale'. Lia admitted that touring the theatre was more challenging than she expected. "It's what I wanted to do, but being away from home was quite difficult," said Brecknell. "Now I understand that if you have children, nothing is that easy." In June 2007, she joined the cast of the ITV1 soap opera 'The Royal Today', where she played the role of Jenny Carrington's sister.
Later Career and Personal Life
In 2008, Lia joined the 'Theatreworks' production company and played the lead role in the psychological thriller 'Turn of the Screw'. She also appeared in the TV series 'Judge John Deed', the mini-series 'Casualty 1907', and the soap opera 'Doctors'.
In 2015, Brecknell portrayed Isabelle Morris in the thriller 'A Dark Reflection', starring Marina Sirtis.
Lia was married to writer Lyall Watson and they have two children, Lily Watson and Maya Watson. She currently resides in Worthing, Sussex. After leaving 'Emmerdale', Brecknell became interested in meditation and yoga. She became a qualified teacher at the British School of Yoga.
In addition to her acting career, Lia develops her own line of jewelry. "I have always made jewelry and individual clothing items for myself," she said. "I have made many things for friends and family, and people kept asking me if I could make this or that for them."
Her jewelry designs, which include about 30 items, are produced in limited editions and range in price from £40 to £150. Lia works with glass beads, coral, and artistic lacquer, using all the unusual materials she collects from different parts of the world.
She donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of her jewelry to the Whitfield Hospice in memory of her friend Pamela Cavaliere, who passed away from esophageal cancer. Lia also supports the charity 'Rethink Mental Illness'.
In October 2016, Brecknell announced that she was suffering from advanced lung cancer. Within three days, she managed to raise about £50,000 for experimental treatment in Germany.
Lia has appeared on TV shows such as 'This Morning' and 'Loose Women', where she has discussed her battle with cancer and her determination to fight the disease.
