Harriet Jessica Phoebe Bywater (born 10 September 1994) is an English former actress. She is 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.
Hetti Bywater | |
|---|---|
| Born | Harriet Jessica Phoebe Bywater 10 September 1994 Sedlescombe, East Sussex, England |
| Education | Birkbeck, University of London (BS) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2011–2017 |
Life and career
editBywater was born on 10 September 1994 in Sedlescombe, East Sussex.[1] She studied performing arts at the Theatre Workshop in Sussex, and from the ages of 13 to 15, attended Claverham Community College in Battle.[2]
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 2012.[3] Later in 2012, Bywater was cast as Lucy Beale in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, taking over from Melissa Suffield.[4] In 2014, it was announced that the character of Lucy would be murdered, introducing a whodunnit storyline ("Who Killed Lucy Beale?") that ran until the show’s 30th anniversary in February 2015, when the identity of the murderer was revealed.[5][6][7] Although her character was killed off in 2014, Bywater returned for the flashback episode in February 2015, reprising the role.
Following her exit from EastEnders, Bywater starred as one of the main roles, Young Sally, in the short film Counting Backwards in 2014. Bywater had a guest appearance in the fourth series of Death in Paradise in 2015.[8] Between 2016 and 2017, Bywater appeared in two episodes of the first series of the Sky One drama Delicious.[9] In 2024, Bywater was seen working as a barmaid in a pub in Islington.[10] She subsequently earned a Bachelor of Science 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 (TASO) in London.[11]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Doctors | Angelica Bater | Episode: "Jealous Girl" |
| Casualty | Sara Barker | Episode: "A Real Shame" | |
| 2012 | St George's Day | Lol's Girlfriend | Film |
| 2012–2015 | EastEnders | Lucy Beale | Regular role |
| 2014 | Counting Backwards | Young Sally | Short film |
| 2015 | Death in Paradise | Jess Chambers | Guest role |
| 2016–2017 | Delicious | Daisy | Recurring role |
References
edit- ↑ "A TEENAGER from Eastbourne has landed a starring role in the hit BBC soap EastEnders". Eastbourne Herald. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ↑ "Hetti Bywater: East Sussex's former Lucy Beale EastEnders actress looks completely different now". Sussex Live. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ "Where is Lucy Beale actress Hetti Bywater now? EastEnders star's career revealed after character was killed off". Heart. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ Metro.co.uk, Christopher Hooton for (3 January 2012). "Lucy Beale gets makeover for EastEnders return with new actress". Metro. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ↑ "Death in Walford: Lucy Beale's dramatic exit". EastEnders News & Spoilers. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ↑ "Harriet Bywater Actors Profile". The Casting Website. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Hetti Bywater". FHM. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
- ↑ Walker, Danny (14 July 2014). "Hetti Bywater set for Death in Paradise role and already filmed on location in Paris and Mexico". mirror. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ↑ "EastEnders' star Hetti Bywater transformed as she enjoys day out". Metro. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ↑ Hardie, Beth (10 September 2024). "'Unrecognisable' EastEnders star who worked in very different industry after axe from soap". mirror.co.uk. Daily Mirror. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ↑ Bywater, Hetti. "Hetti Bywater". linkedin.com. LinkedIn. Retrieved 27 July 2025.