Charlie Brooks

Brooks has also appeared on several reality television shows, winning the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special in 2011 and the twelfth series of I'm a Celebrity..Get Me Out of Here! In 2012. She appeared as a contestant on the seventeenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2025.

• Name — Charlie Brooks • Born — 3 May 1981 • Birthplace — Ware, Hertfordshire, England • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1995–present • Known for — Role of Janine Butcher in EastEnders • Children — 1

Charlene Emma Brooks was born on 3 May 1981, in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, and moved to Barmouth, Gwynedd when she was a child. Brooks attended Tower House School in Barmouth, and relocated to London to attend Ravenscourt Theatre School, Hammersmith.

• Illustration — Brooks at The British Soap Awards in 2011 On television, Brooks has appeared in episodes of The Bill, London's Burning, Jonathan Creek and The Demon Headmaster. Following her departure from EastEnders in 2004, Brooks's first role was in the BBC drama Bleak House as Jenny. Brooks has appeared in commercials and voiceovers in the United Kingdom, Europe and the US. In 2006, Brooks played Beverley Allitt in a BBC One Docudrama entitled Beverley Allitt: Angel of Death, alongside Ian Kelsey. Producer Cathy Elliot said: "It's a very sensitive issue and of course it's terrible for the parents to have the whole thing brought up. Each time it's brought up it's painful, but a lot of parents realise it's important it's kept in the public domain and that people are aware that things have happened and that not a lot has been done since". She has guest starred in Robin Hood and Love Soup. In theatre, Brooks, whilst on a break from EastEnders in 2003, appeared in the play Office Games alongside Adam Rickitt. The play was Brooks' West End debut, and described as "a witty and intelligent political commentary". In 2007, she appeared in Our Country's Good at the Liverpool Playhouse.

• Illustration — Brooks at the National Television Awards in 2012 When executive producer Matthew Robinson re-introduced the character of Janine Butcher in 1999, after Alexia Demetriou had left the role, Brooks secured the role. Brooks remained in the role until May 2004. In April 2008, Brooks returned to EastEnders for a guest stint. She was later confirmed to be coming back as a regular character. She said, "I had doubts to begin with, mainly because of Kiki [her daughter], as I know how full-on EastEnders can be, and then there's that stigma about going back to a soap. But I'm so pleased I did, it was the right decision. Especially with what's going on at the moment, I feel really lucky to have a job and I need the security because of Kiki. I was just going to go back for a year, but I had a meeting with the boss last week and we're going to go for another year. So lots more time to get up to much mischief". Executive producer Diederick Santer said, "I couldn't be more pleased that Charlie Brooks is re-joining EastEnders. With her appearances last month, she reminded us what a fine actress she is, and what an intriguing, watchable and engaging character she plays as Janine". She temporarily departed in September 2012, and returned in April 2013 before departing again in March 2014. In April 2021, it was announced that Brooks had agreed to reprise the role once again for a "huge storyline" and would return later in the year. She made her on-screen return in September 2021. Brooks appeared in her 1,000th episode as Janine on 10 February 2022. In July 2026, It was announced that Brooks will reprise the role for a guest stint in late 2026.

In January 2019, it was announced that Alex Oates's play All in a Row, starring Brooks as Tamora, the mother, was going to be produced by Paul Virides Productions at the Southwark Playhouse. The play is based on Oates' ten years of experience caring for severely autistic children and adults, and won the Top Five Play Reading at the Bolton Octagon. The play is about the parents of a profoundly autistic eleven-year-old boy and how they are feeling the night before he is taken to a residential school, when social services feel he needs more support than can be given in their family home. Criticisms of the play started to emerge when a video trailer for the production was released showing the autistic character, Laurence, portrayed by a puppet. Journalist Frances Ryan criticised the play by calling it a "grotesque step backwards". The National Autistic Society, who initially decided to help the production by providing consultation, reacted to the Twitter furore by releasing a statement saying "while recognising some of the play's strengths, we decided we could not support the play overall due to its portrayal of autism, particularly the use of a puppet to depict the autistic character alone." Brooks responded by saying: "I understand people's concerns, but I do urge people to come and see the play first before they judge." She also claimed that having a puppet character is essential and that Laurence, the puppet, is very playful. During rehearsals, Brooks visited the Queensmill School for autistic children in Shepherd's Bush, talking to the pupils, their teachers and carers. Brooks concluded by stating: "This is a story that is rarely told. I just hope people will come and see it instead of sitting at home getting angry."

She won I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2012, beating campmate Ashley Roberts. Brooks also narrated Botched Up Bodies on Channel 5. In 2025, Brooks appeared as a contestant on the seventeenth series of Dancing on Ice.

Her fitness DVD became the UK's best-selling fitness DVD release, and Brooks was transformed from "podgy Janine to a sexy new mum".

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1996 — The Demon Headmaster — The Brains — 3 episodes • Out of Tune — Carol — Main role; 7 episodes • 1997 — The Bill — Miriam Olston — Episode: "A Place of Your Own" • 1998 — Turning Points — Emma — Unknown episodes • 1999–2004, 2008–2014, 2021–2022, 2026 — EastEnders — Janine Butcher — Series regular; 1,246 episodes • 1999 — The Bill — Claire Fellows — Episode: "Cold Calling" • Pudding Lane — Janine Butcher — Television film • Jonathan Creek — Trudi — Episode: "The Omega Man" • 2000 — London's Burning — Lisa — Series 12: Episode 1 • 2005 — The Golden Hour — Cara Wilson — Series 1: Episode 2 • Bleak House — Jenny — Miniseries; 5 episodes • Angel of Death: The Beverly Allitt Story — Beverley Allitt — Television film • 2006 — Take 3 Girls — Patsy — Film • Casualty — Sally Montgomery — Episode: "Sons and Lovers" • 2007 — Heartbeat — Julie Langley-Smythe — Episode: "Another Little Piece of My Heart" • Robin Hood — Ceris — Episode: "Walkabout" • 2008 — Love Soup — Denise — Episode: "Human Error" • Wired — Anna — Miniseries; all 3 episodes • 2010 — EastEnders: Last Tango in Walford — Janine Butcher — DVD release • 2011 — EastEnders: E20 — 3 episodes • Strictly Come Dancing (Christmas Special) — Herself (participant) — Winner • 2012–2013 — Celebrity Juice — 4 episodes • 2012 — I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here — Winner; series 12 • 2013–2014 — Botched Up Bodies — Narrator — Unknown episodes • 2014 — Suspects — Tanya — Episode: "Nobody Else: Part 1" • 2015 — The Dumping Ground — Stephanie Branston — Episode: "Law & Disorder Part One: Party Games" • 2016 — The Chase: Celebrity Special — Herself (participant) — Didn't appear in the final chase • 2018 — Moving On — Tina — Episode: "Neighbour" • 2020 — FOG — Rachel — Short film • 2021 — Lie With Me — Anna Fallmont — Miniseries; all 4 episodes • 2021–2022 — Richard Osman's House of Games — Herself — Participant; 10 episodes, including House of Champions • 2025 — Dancing on Ice — Contestant; series 17 — Finished in 6th place • The Hack — Kim Vian — ITVX/Stan 7-part series

• Year — Title — Role • 2003 — Office Games — Rose Brown • 2004 — The Play What I Wrote — Rose • 2005–2006 — Dixon of Dock Green — Mary Dixon • 2006 — Dangerous Corner — Betty • 2007 — Our Country's Good — Dabby Bryant • 2013 — Dusty Won't Play — Dusty Springfield • 2014 — Beautiful Thing — Sandra Gangel • 2015 — A Streetcar Named Desire — Blanche • 2017 — How the Other Half Loves — Teresa • 2018 — Monogamy — Sally • 2019 — All in a Row — Tamora • 2022–2023 — The Ocean at the End of the Lane — Ursula / Skarthach • 2024 — Chitty Chitty Bang Bang — Childcatcher • 2026 — The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time — Judy