Interview: Cliff Caswell
Picture: Electronic Arts

EVER since sexy Gemma Atkinson first appeared in the Channel Four soap Hollyoaks, she has found herself in huge demand as both an actress and model.

Whether playing feisty Lisa Hunter in Chester’s most dramatic fictional community or plunging herself deep in the jungle for the hit reality TV show I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, the 24-year-old beauty always manages to capture the imagination for her talent as much as her glamorous looks.

Now the Manchester-born stunner has a newadventure in mind – to visit British Armed Forces personnel serving on the front lines of Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I have a great respect for the troops and the work they are doing,” Gemma admitted during an event to celebrate the recent London Gaming Week in Trafalgar Square. “Not too long ago I did a military boot camp and, while it was nothing like what our troops are going through, it did give me a bit of a taste. So I am hoping to go out and visit some soldiers later in the year. It would be great to see what all the guys are doing and would be something very special for me.”

By all accounts Gemma, who has friends serving in Afghanistan, has already proved that she has no aversion to roughing it when the need arises. In 2007 she was dropped into the depths of the Australian jungle for I’m a Celebrity, and revealed she has recently completed filming in South Africa for Adrenalin Junkie, where she swam with deadly sharks and took to the skies for a bungee jump from a helicopter.

She has also just played her first part as a Servicewoman, donning a skimpy air force uniform to become every soldier’s dream superior officer, Lt Eva McKenna, in the Electronic Arts video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.

“It has been a fabulous experience to be so involved in the latest title, especially working alongside such a fantastic cast in the United States,” Gemma said. “And I’m also really pleased with the way the game has been received by fans.

“As Lt McKenna, I’m the second-in-command. I pop up whenever the player finds themselves in trouble and explain what buttons to press,” she elaborated. “But it was great to mix gaming with acting as Eva is a strong female character and playing her was a blast.”

Away from the action, Gemma has taken time out to continue her modelling career, appearing in photo shoots for lads’ mags such as FHM, Loaded and Zoo and her 2009 calendar.

Last year she became the new face of the British Grand Prix and a driving force behind the glamorous image of high street lingerie chain La Senza. But as well as the many projects in her professional life, Gemma has also been acclaimed for her charity work, taking part in events to raise awareness of breast cancer, which included a walk along the Great Wall of China last year.

In addition she has been closely involved with the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, and has been asked to become a full ambassador for the organisation after helping to design a room for young patients being treated at Christie Hospital in Manchester.

It is all a far cry from Gemma’s beginnings in Phil Redmond’s Hollyoaks, the teenage soap set in Chester that has continually been riding high in the ratings since its launch in the mid-1990s. Her character proved so popular that she was later given her own late night spin-off series, Hollyoaks in the City.

“The set of Hollyoaks was an absolutely brilliant place to work and the whole cast got on so well together,” Gemma recalled. “I played Lisa Hunter for five years and I still meet up and go on holiday with the friends I made.

“It was a bit like going to university, only we all got paid for working. So the show will always have a very special place in my heart because of all the happy times.”

As for her latest projects, Gemma has been playing the lead role of Peter Pan in panto at the Manchester Opera House, and admitted being relieved that she did not have to spend the lead up to last month’s festive season feasting on insects in the jungle.

“Panto is a really great way to celebrate Christmas, and I enjoyed watching the last series of I’m a Celebrity sitting on a comfy sofa with tea and biscuits and knowing fully what the contestants were going through,” she laughed.