Claire Cooper


Claire Elizabeth Cooper is a British actress and former gymnast from Wakefield, England, best known for portraying Jacqui McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a character she played full time from 2006 to 2013 and returned to for one episode in 2023.
In 2010, Cooper opened a clothing rental boutique called The Closet in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Jennifer Metcalfe and Leah Hackett.

Early life

Cooper was a British champion gymnast for 10 years.
Cooper attended the Guildford School of Acting.

Career

Cooper has appeared in various British television shows, including a two-part episode on Waking the Dead in 2004. She has also made appearances on Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
Cooper made her on-screen debut as Jacqui McQueen in Hollyoaks in September 2006. She played the character for several years, including in spin-offs Hollyoaks Later in 2009 and Hollyoaks: King of Hearts in 2010. She departed from the cast in 2013, but made a cameo appearance in an episode in 2023.
In 2016, Cooper played the part of Claire in the second series of In the Club. Cooper co-owns clothing rental boutique The Closet in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Jennifer Metcalfe and Leah Hackett.

Personal life

Cooper married Hollyoaks co-star Emmett J. Scanlan in 2015. On 8 May 2020, she announced she was pregnant with their first child. On 18 July, she gave birth to a boy named Ocean. On 12 November 2022, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Fiáin.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Cooper won Best Actress at British Soap Awards in 2013 and Best Family at Inside Soap Awards in 2009. She has also received several nominations:
YearAwardCategoryRole / CharacterResult
2007Inside Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2008TV Now AwardsFavourite Soap CoupleHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2009Inside Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2010Inside Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011National Television AwardsBest Serial Drama PerformanceHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011All About Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2011British Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011British Soap AwardsBest Dramatical PerformanceHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2011TV Choice AwardsBest Soap ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011Inside Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011Inside Soap AwardsBest Dramatical PerformanceHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011Inside Soap AwardsBest WeddingHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2011RTS North West AwardsBest Performance in a Continuing DramaHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2012National Television AwardsOutstanding Serial Drama PerformanceHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen
2012All About Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2012Digital Spy AwardsBest Female Soap ActorHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2013British Soap AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenWon
2013British Soap AwardsBest Dramatic PerformanceHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueenNomitated
2013TV Choice AwardsBest ActressHollyoaks / Jacqui McQueen