A RISING star of EastEnders has revealed how a major figure helped develop her career.
At only 23 years of age, Molly Rainford already has an impressive list of accomplishments – Strictly Come Dancing finalist, singer and one half of a celebrity couple.
Last year, she joined the cast of EastEnders as Anna Knight, with her on-screen father George being played by Colin Salmon.
Before any of that, however, Molly’s entertainment journey began at 11 years old when she competed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2012.
Despite not winning the ITV talent competition, Molly’s involvement proved to be a pivotal moment in her life and career.
The star revealed to TV Mag in an exclusive interview: “Literally anything that could possibly shake on my body was shaking, I was so nervous.
“But once you start singing, the nerves go. I had the best time. Since I was a baby, I’d been asking my parents: ‘Please let me audition’ and they were like: ‘Are you sure? Can you sing now?’
“I still like making music and I’ve always loved to perform. I think that’s why I love doing the job I do now. Britain’s Got Talent was definitely a springboard into what I wanted to do.”
Having reached the top six in BGT, show boss Simon Cowell was wowed by Molly’s vocals.
Simon helped the schoolgirl land a place at the famous Sylvia Young Theatre School in London, thanks to a sponsorship from Sony Music.
Molly added: “He got the meetings to go ahead.
“I was very lucky. So many kids go on that show, and I never wanted to be a one-hit wonder, I wanted to do this when I’m older.
“Instead of jumping straight into a record deal, Sony paid for my education and I couldn’t have got a better prize from the show.”
In the years afterwards, Molly became a CBBC presenter at 14 and in 2021, landed her breakthrough acting role in kids’ sci-fi series Nova Jones.
It was soon after that the offer to join Strictly came about, an experience Molly described as “amazing opportunity.”
The star made it all the way to the final with her professional partner, Carlos Gu, and while she didn’t win the Glitterball trophy, she did win the heart of fellow contestant, DJ and presenter Tyler West.
She said: “I had the best time. If they do an All Stars version, can I be on the list please? Because I would love to do it again.
“I still kind of see everyone – Fleur East, I’m dying to meet her baby, Will Mellor… That experience really bonds people. It was like I had loads of surrogate parents.
“And obviously meeting my boyfriend Tyler was the cherry on the cake.
THE beloved British soap has been captivating audiences for decades.
EastEnders follows the lives of the residents of Walford as they navigate love, loss, family drama, and community struggles.
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“We were both really invested in the show, I wanted to be the best dancer I could be, so it was only afterwards, on the tour, that we started properly getting to know each other.”
After a year of dating, the pair have just bought their first home together.
The star gushed: “It’s great. We met in such a whirlwind with Strictly, but then with real life and working, you have to find time, you’re staying over, having to pack a bag, and we were like: ‘Do you know what, I just want to live with you.’
“So it kind of just happened really naturally, it’s been lovely.
“And what I love is that being with someone who works in this field, it actually makes life so much easier because you understand each other’s schedules.”
Read the full interview with Molly in this week’s TV Mag, available Saturday for free, only in The Sun.
