EastEnders star Molly Rainford is best known for pulling pints in The Queen Vic alongside her family in Walford.
But appearing as Anna Knight in the long-running BBC soap opera isn’t Mollie’s first rodeo – she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent in 2012, at the age of only 11.
From there, she made it through to the final, finishing in sixth place, behind eventual winners Ashleigh Butler and performing dog Pudsey.
After attending theatre school, she went on to appear as a presenter on the CBBC’s entertainment series Friday Download from 2014 to 2016.
Starring as Nova Jones in the comedy-drama series of the same name, she went on to appear as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, before being cast as EastEnders’ Anna Knight a year later.
At 24 years old, Molly has already had a remarkable career. And she’s not the only star in her family either – being the daughter of former football legend Dave Rainford.
46-year-old Dave began his career in 1997, playing for Colchester United. From there, he went on to play for Slough Town, Heybridge Swift, Bishop’s Stortford and AFC Hornchurch.
In 2008, he signed on as a midfielder for Chelmsford City, becoming their Captain and later assistant manager in 2012.
Dave hung up his boots in 2014, and now serves as head of education and academy player care with the Premier League.
This fact has been rediscovered by viewers on Reddit, while others were suprised to learn how long former child star Molly has been in the industry.
‘Wow I had no idea she did that before surprising and cool,’ said JazzlikeTea7432.
‘i used to watch her in friday download as a kid! she was part of the recast which went on for a while :)’ exclaimed MARN-E.
Since joining EastEnders, Molly has been at the heart of a number of recent storylines – including being spiked while on a night out last year.
The resulting anguish led to her split from boyfriend Bobby Beale (Clay Milner Russell) as she took comfort in the arms of pal Feddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) – although their relationship wasn’t to last either, once she learned he’d cheated on her with her own sister (Francesca Henry).
