IT’S FAIR to say amongst British soap fans, Laila Morse is a household name.
The actress is well known for being Big Mo in EastEnders – but did you know she is also a star of the big screen?
Laila Morse was born on August 1, 1945 in Dorking, Surrey.
Her real name is Maureen Oldman and Laila Morse is her stage name.
She is the sister of Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman who played Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series.
But Laila has had a successful acting career of her own, and is perhaps best known as Mo Harris in BBC Soap EastEnders, since landing the job in 2000.
The star was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 after co-star Wendy Richard, who tragically died from the disease in 2009 after a 14 year long battle, convinced her to get it checked.
It turned out that Laila’s lump was cancer but luckily, because it was diagnosed early, it was treatable.
In 2021, Laila revealed that she credits Wendy with saving her life.
The British actress married Gerald Bromfield in 1962, and had two children together, Gerry, and Tracy.
Laila divorced Gerald in 1970 after he served 14 months in prison for theft as part of the notorious Deptford Mob.
However, the star would marry again twenty five years later, in 1995, when she wed Jim Bass after a six month romance.
The two split not long after and finalised their divorce in 2001, with Laila eventually admitting in her memoir that she hadn’t really loved Jim.
In 2006, Laila reunited with an old fling she met in Ibiza, Jimmy.
Laila Morse’s first job on TV was in a couple of episodes of the police drama The Bill.
She also played the character Honky Mum in the BBC comedy Honky Sausages in the 1990s.
In addition to acting roles Laila has also had several reality TV appearances, including I’m A Celebrity, Dancing On Ice and Celebrity MasterChef.
In December 2021, Laila bravely agreed to get her kit off on ITV for Strictly The Real Full Monty to raise awareness and money for cancer charities.
Fun fact, Laila has also enjoyed a film career which included starring in her little brother Gary Oldman’s 1997 film Nil by Mouth.
