Hetti Bywater
Harriet Jessica Phoebe Bywater is an English former actor. She is best known for portraying Lucy Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, taking over the role from Melissa Suffield from 2012 until the character’s murder in 2014.
Early life
Bywater was born in Sedlescombe, East Sussex to Welsh parents of mixed heritage. Her grandfather from her mother’s side is black Jamaican. She studied performing arts at The Theatre Workshop in Sussex, and from the ages of 13 to 15 attended Claverham Community College in Battle.Acting career
Bywater began her career in 2011 by making guest appearances in Casualty and Doctors. She also had a minor role in the St George's Day film in the same year. Bywater had a guest appearance in the fourth series of Death in Paradise in 2015,. Between 2016 and 2017, Bywater guest-starred in two episodes of the first series of the Sky One drama Delicious.''EastEnders''
Bywater’s most notable role was in EastEnders in 2012 as Lucy Beale, taking over from Melissa Suffield.In 2014, it was announced that the character of Lucy would be murdered, introducing a whodunnit storyline that would run until the show’s 30th anniversary in February 2015, when the identity of the murderer was revealed.
Bywater made her final appearance as a series regular on 18 April 2014, returning for a flashback episode on 19 February 2015 as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations.
Personal life
Just a couple of years after leaving EastEnders, onlookers snapped pictures of Bywater working as a barmaid in a pub in Islington in London; however, she subsequently earned a BS in psychology at Birkbeck, University of London and, as of July 2025, was the Communications Officer for The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in London.Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Casualty | Sarah Barker | one episode |
| 2011 | Doctors | Angelica Batter | one episode |
| 2011 | St George's Day | Lol’s Girlfriend | film |
| 2012–2015 | EastEnders | Lucy Beale | series regular |
| 2015 | Death in Paradise | Jess Chambers | one episode |
| 2016–2017 | Delicious | Daisy | two episodes |