The television phenomenon that was The Only Way is Essex launched a raft of careers. One of its breakout stars was Amy Childs. Appearing as herself in the groundbreaking show, which blurred the line between reality show and soap opera, Childs went to be given her own reality show, It’s All About Amy. Her status was cemented when she appeared in the 2011 series of Celebrity Big Brother. After taking time out to raise her family, Childs was confirmed as one of the guests in the 2020 series of Celebs go Dating.

Childs was born in Barking, an area which some class as Essex, others East London. Before long, her family moved to Brentwood, definitively in Essex, and the setting of her future TV show. She left school in 2006 with four GCSEs, but four years later her life changed when she became a star of the first two series of The Only Way is Essex, the first ‘scripted reality’ show to take off in the UK. Alongside the likes of Gemma Collins and Mark Wright, Childs became instantly recognisable as viewing figures broke the one million mark. Upon her leaving the show in 2011, and her success on Celebrity Big Brother, it was natural that she should star in her own series, which she did that same year. It’s All About Amy followed its star and she built a modelling career and successful salon.

Signed up by leading agency Can Associates, Childs became a regular contributor to This Morning and proved her credentials as a serious contender when posed for iconic fashion magazine Vogue.