Tracy Beaker casts transformations from Strictly star to pregnancy news

The phrase “bog off” lives rent free in every millennial kid’s mind, thanks to the one and only Tracy Beaker.

The children’s show, which was adapted from Jacqueline Wilson’s best-selling books, ran from 2002 to 2005 initially, before returning for multiple spin-off shows from 2010.

But while we know that Tracy herself is now a mum to her daughter Jess, and has since moved to the cosy seaside town of Cooksea, what about the actor who played her, Dani Harmer? Not to mention the other OG Dumping Ground kids that we grew up with…

From Louise and Justine to Dolly and Layla, here are all the Tracy Beaker cast’s transformations. Are you ready to feel old?

Dani Harmer – Tracy Beaker

After playing Tracy Beaker in the original series back in the day, the 34 year old went on to portray the same character in every spin-off made, most recently The Beaker Girls.

Aside from her alter-ego as the loveable rogue Tracy, Dani has lived with her partner Simon Brough since 2015. The couple share two children together, six year old Averie-Belle Betsy, and one year old Rowan León James.

She regularly uses social media to update fans on her family life, and back in December posted a sweet recap of 2022, which included the birth of her newest child.

As well as being a full-time mum, Dani also runs her own acting school, the Dani Harmer Academy. It helps young people break into the performing arts industry and also provides online drama and musical theatre classes, plus arts and crafts.

She even competed in Strictly Come Dancing in 2012, finishing fourth with dance partner Vincent Simone.

If Tracy could see her now!

Craig Roberts – Rio Wellard

One third of the infamous Wellard siblings, Rio caused havoc at the Dumping Ground alongside his sisters Chantal and Roxy.

Now 30, he’s grown up a lot since then, but has still enjoyed a pretty successful and steady acting career. His biggest roles include Oliver Tate in the 2010 film Submarine and medical drama, Casualty.

He also starred in Being Human and Jane Eyre in 2011, 22 Jump Street in 2014 and Kill Your Friends in 2015.

His most recent role was the 2019 film Tolkien alongside X-Men star Nicholas Hoult.

Montanna Thompson – Justine Littlewood

Montanna played Justine Littlewood, Tracy’s arch enemy and became one of the most iconic characters of the series.

However, her stint in the show came to an end in 2005 when Tracy Beaker finished filming. But while fans thought it was the last they’d see of Justine – much to their delight – she made a cameo appearance in Tracy Beaker Returns in 2012, My Mum Tracy Beaker in 2021, and The Beaker Girls (2021–2023).

Montana has had success outside of Tracy Beaker, too, being cast in several TV dramas, including The Bill and Dates.

In 2016, she also starred in Gangster Kittens and in 2017 she had a role in Kill or Be Killed.

The same year, she welcomed a baby boy.

Lisa Coleman – Cam Lawson

Beaker fans were introduced to struggling author Cam Lawson back in series one. She went on to become Tracy’s foster mum, and a regular in the show.

The 52 year old also reprised her role in The Tracy Beaker Survival Files, where she was interviewed by Tracy as well as 2012’s Tracy Beaker returns.

Since the show, she’s had roles in other popular series, including Eastenders, Casualty and Hollyoaks. When she’s not acting, Lisa is a volunteer occupational therapist.

Luke Youngblood – Ben Batambuze

Luke played Tracy’s best friend Ben, a young boy who spent a lot of time hanging out at the Dumping Ground because his rich parents were always too busy for him.

The actor – who is regularly seen galavanting around the globe on Instagram – also went on to enjoy a successful acting career post Tracy Beaker.

Fans will have seen him in Glee and Lie to Me, plus in a recurring role on Community as Magnitude.

Not to mention his West End credits, in which he played the lead of Young Simba in the original London cast of Lion King.

But probably his biggest claim to fame outside of the Dumping Ground was his portrayal as Lee Jordan in the Harry Potter series.

Speaking of Harry Potter, Luke shared with his Instagram followers back in January that he would be returning to Hogwarts.

“After years of having to keep the cat in the bag, I am excited (and relieved) to announce that I am once again returning to the wizarding world!” he captioned the post.

“I am voicing Everett Clopton, a Ravenclaw and a half-blood underachieving rule-breaker and prankster, in Hogwarts Legacy, the upcoming open-world, action role-playing-game set in the 1800s wizarding world which launches on February 10.”

Ciarán Joyce – Lawrence “Lol” Plakova

Lol and his brother Bouncer (who we know you’ll all be wondering about too) first landed on our screen in series two back in 2003.

Known for his cheeky personality and regular pranks, he was a favourite amongst fans.

The actor, now 35, is still in the acting biz and after Beaker, went on to have roles in Holby City, Summer Scars, Torchwood, Young Dracula and The F-List, not to mention many stage productions, including Les Mis.

According to IMDb, it looks like Ciarán took a bit of a hiatus, however, he’s assured us that he’s back with a bang.

At the end of Feb, he posted a snap to his grid revealing that he’ll be starring in a new BBC crime thriller series called Wolf, alongside Ukweli Roach, Sacha Dhawan and Iwan Rheon.

Cara Readle – Layla

Series three was when Layla entered the Dumping Ground. She was played by 32 year old Cara Readle, who is still an active actor.

Cara, who has Cerebral Palsy, has also appeared in other TV shows, including Casualty, and currently plays Sam in the cBeebies adaptation of Biff & Chip.

In a BBC Radio Wales interview back in October 2022, Cara reflected on her time in Tracy Beaker, zooming in on how it felt to be able to represent others with a disability on TV.

“When I auditioned they were looking for a female with a disability. But before that, I hadn’t seen disability on the TV screens. I was the first person I saw on TV with a disability. I think kids growing up watching that just felt like they were more seen, and I think if I had that at a younger age it would have helped me a lot.”

She captioned the post with: “It is so important to have disability represented on our TV screens and radio.”

Deepal Parmer – Chantal Wellard

Rio’s older sister, Chantal, was a lover of all things goth, and regularly sported purple highlights, and black biker boots.

These days, her attire looks a little more toned down, but she still seems to be acting.

According to IMDb she has several credits to her name, including 2017’s Beauty in the Street and 2020’s Devils and Wordless.

Chelsie Padley – Louise Goven

Tracy’s original best friend, Louise, was often stuck in the middle between her and Justine.

She was a complete girly girl, and regularly donned pink attire, with her long blonde hair often styled very Y2K.

After leaving Tracy Beaker, Chelsie dabbled in acting for a while and in 2011, appeared in the TV series Tati’s Hotel.

She then went into modelling, only to find her calling as a wellness and fitness instructor. Chelsie founded her own fitness company, Fit Peach Fitness and regularly posts tips and workouts to her 22.4K followers on Instagram.

The 31 year old also just took to her grid to announce her first pregnancy with her partner Iain George. She posted the sweetest video in which she filmed all of her loved ones finding out the big news.

Clive Rowe – Duke Ellington

Clive played Duke, a care worker and chef at the Dumping Ground. He was an OG character too, appearing in episode one series one back in 2002. However, he left in series four after heading to the Caribbean to visit his family.

After Tracy Beaker, Clive landed many great roles, including in Doctor Who, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 2017’s Beauty And The Beast alongside Emma Watson.

Darragh Mortell – Liam 'Crash' Daniels

Fans will know Liam as ‘Crash’, one of Tracy’s friends in the Dumping Ground. He became a staple character in the show, and quickly became a fan favourite.

After he finished Tracy Beaker, Darragh joined Dani in her show, Dani’s House. He then went on to star in Hollyoaks and Casualty, plus in the stage production of Jungle Book as Mowgli.

More recently, the 33 year old has swapped the front of the camera for behind it, and is now an award-winning screenwriter and director.

His credits include writing and directing web episodes for BAFTA nominated shows Dani’s Castle and Millie Inbetween, and BBC2 comedy Halfway.

In 2020, Darragh was awarded the 'Best European Fiction' title at the Prix Europa Awards for his BBC Radio Wales/BBC Radio 4 afternoon play I am Kanye West.

Nisha Nayar – Elaine 'the Pain'

Elaine ‘the Pain’ has got to be one of the most iconic characters from the show. The Dumping Ground social worker, she was regularly pranked by the kids, and portrayed as a general nuisance to them.

Nisha Nayar, the actor who played Elaine, went on to appear in episodes of Doctors, The Bill and Doctor Who when she left Tracy Beaker. She also has film credits that include Jim Sheridan's Oscar winning, In America plus stage credits such as Jack Thorne’s Hope at the Royal Court Theatre.

Much to the delight of fans (or dislike, wherever you stand on Elaine), she reprised her role as the social worker in an episode of The Beaker Girls in 2023.

Chloe Hibbert-Waters – Dolly

Dolly was the cutest, right? Well, sometimes, anyway. Chloe Hibbert-Waters played the playful character from 2003, and she idolised Tracy.

Lucky for her, she ended up being taken in by a foster family, and got the happy ending many of the Dumping Ground kids dreamed of.

After the show, Chloe decided that acting wasn’t for her, and is now apparently a writer. However, her social media presence is slim, so it’s unclear where she’s at today.

Ben Hanson – Bradley ‘Bouncer’ Plakova

Ben played Lol’s older brother Bouncer, and the pair regularly caused mischief at the Dumping Ground.

It doesn't look as though Ben pursued his acting career though, aside from a few roles in panto and a bit of presenting on CBBC.

If you head to his social media he describes himself as a qualified PT, and is the owner of Bearfit.

His IG also shows that he’s been in a long-term relationship with his partner, Lily Arabella, as he regularly shares snaps of them together.

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