Chelsea will never be a daddy's girl

May 18 2008 By Steve Hendry

When Tiana Benjamin walked down the famous purple carpet at the Soap Awards last week, she looked every inch a candidate in the running for the Sexiest Female award.

The 23-year-old EastEnder was graceful and glamorous in red and seemed to take the applause of waiting fans and the attention of an army of photographers and TV cameras in her stride.

It just shows what a good actress she is because inside she was trying desperately hard just to hold it together.

She said: "I felt ill. It's that thing of feeling like a goldfish in a bowl. I'm not very good at that because I'm a private person and it's so manic.

"I still don't know what I make of it all. It's definitely an experience. It feels like you have just walked into your TV set.

"You think you know everyone because they all look so familiar and grin at them really stupidly.

Then you talk rubbish because you are so nervous, you can't relax because you have so much make-up on and you are walking around like a Dalek in the highest heels you have ever worn in your life. It's just a little bit weird.

"I was really tense going in and during the show but I did let my hair down in the end.

"It's fun because you get to see all these people you have watched on TV up close and they are really nice, which is a bit strange.

"And the fans who turn out to watch the stars going in are always great too.

"They wait a long time to see their favourites and you can't help but be flattered that they bother to turn up."

Tiana lost out on the sexiest girl gong to Hollyoaks' Roxanne McKee but she's not overly bothered. She has her eyes on the big prize which, as far as she is concerned, is carrying on playing Albert Square wild child Chelsea Fox.

Two years after joining the soap and notching up conquests including Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and Sean Slater (Rob Kazinsky), the North London beauty is still wide-eyed by the fact that she is a part of EastEnders.

She said: "I still drive into work and get really excited by the fact that I'm working on it.

"I've watched the show since I was a little girl so to be a part of it is amazing.

"I really enjoy playing the character because whatever Chelsea is, she is never boring."

Tiana auditioned for the show at the same time as screen step-siblings Carly (Kellie Shirley) and Deano Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) as well as Kara Tointon and Charlie Clements, who play Dawn Swann and Bradley Branning.

All five remain good friends but both Kellie and Matt have been moved on and Phil Daniels, who played Chelsea's step-father Kevin Wicks, has been killed off.

Now she is about to find a new screen family in the shape of Chelsea's long-lost dad, Lucas, played by former 55 Degrees North star Don Gilet, although this being Albert Square it's not going to be a case of happy families.

Having already tracked down and rejected her birth father, his turning up on her birthday - with his son and her half-brother in tow - leaves Chelsea distinctly unimpressed.

It's a major storyline which will run and run, based around an issue which has already provoked a particularly heartfelt response. Tiana said: "I met a guy in a garage the other day and he said, 'I love your character.'

"I got a little bit nervous because when people get into conversation about the character they can sometimes really dissect her and you have this question and answer session.

"But he goes, 'You know when you went to look for your dad? It made me want to go and look for my dad too. I've got his number but I'm too scared to phone him up.'

"I wanted to cry. I cannot believe someone has been even remotely touched in that way. I really didn't know where to put myself.

"I had heard other actors saying that sort of thing happens and I always thought 'as if!'

"I was really amazed by it and feel it's a real compliment to the writers. I'm honoured to have this kind of storyline."

Although she's just turned 23, Tiana has been around a long time. She started acting aged 11 and later went to the famous Anna Scher school.

She turned to dancing when she was 17 and appeared in a number of videos for the likes of Artful Dodger, Dido, Blue and Ms Dynamite - even backing her at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester - before returning to acting.

She picked up parts in The Bill, Rose and Maloney and Dalziel and Pascoe before winning the part of Quidditch player Angelina Johnson in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. It was a small part...so small her teacher mum Janice has told her to stop talking about it in interviews.

Tiana laughed: "It was a very, very, very small part. Angelina was captain of the Quidditch team for Gryffindor House.

"It always comes up in interviews but my mum has told me to stop talking about it because it's getting embarrassing.

"It looks like I'm bigging myself up so much and it's getting a bit cringe-making.

"But I am so proud to have been even a small part of Harry Potter that I can't help going into it."

Tiana could have conjured up some more movie magic if she had reprised the role in Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, as she was supposed to.

But EastEnders came along and she was forced to make a difficult choice.

She said: "I was signed to do Order Of The Phoenix when I got offered EastEnders. I couldn't believe my luck. Initially, it looked like the whole thing could be worked around the Harry Potter film, which was being filmed over nine months.

"But the dates kept changing, it all got a bit tricky and my agent told me I had to make a choice.

"I got very upset initially but then I realised I was being selfish and should be grateful for having the choice.

"It was lucky they realised before they started filming or I could have ended up with nothing.

"I did get a bit emotional when I watched the film but I think in the long term, EastEnders and Chelsea are right for me.

"I am really enjoying myself and am grateful to be working here."

But she did have another encounter with the schoolboy wizard when she was asked to add her voice to a Harry Potter video game.

She laughed: "I got to go to EA Games and shout Flipendo and stuff like that all day. It was wicked."

"I've watched the show since I was little and love playing Chelsea.. whatever she is, she's never boring"