Lola EastEnders Danielle Harold
Soaps

Danielle Harold: EastEnders’ Lola Pearce actress’ life and career explored

She joined the soap over a decade ago...

Lola Pearce is a popular character in the BBC soap EastEnders played by actress Danielle Harold.

The star first joined the soap in 2011, and has been involved in several major storylines to date.

But how old is she in real life? And who is Lola related to on Albert Square?

Read more: Tamzin Outhwaite reveals new family addition

Here we take a deep dive at both Lola and Danielle’s life and times…

lola eastenders 2021
Danielle Harold says she’s nothing like her EastEnders character (Credit: SplashNews)

How old is Danielle Harold?

Danielle was born on May 30, 1992. As of April 2021, she is 28.

The actress was born in Lewisham, London.

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Does Danielle Harold know Jamie Oliver?

Danielle met and worked with Jamie Oliver on one of his television series.

Prior to her EastEnders gig, Danielle was on Channel 4’s Jamie’s Dream School.

This series, headed by Jamie Oliver, saw students with few GCSE’s taught by celebrities.

Danielle stood out as one of the brightest students and was encouraged to apply for university.

However, she opted to pursue her acting career instead, and landed her role as Lola in EastEnders that same year.

Danielle with Danny Dyer at the TV Choice Awards
Danielle with Danny Dyer at the TV Choice Awards (Credit: SplashNews)

Does she have a boyfriend?

This stunning actress likely has no shortage of romantic attention and offers.

However, she is extremely private about her dating life.

She has not confirmed to be in a relationship.

And she hasn’t shared any information about her dating life on social media.

When did she leave EastEnders?

Danielle originally played Lola Pearce in EastEnders from July 2011 to June 2015.

One of her most major storylines saw her become pregnant with her daughter Lexi at just 15.

Lola gave birth during a special live episode, the first EastEnders actress to portray giving birth live on air.

Lola in EastEnders
Lola is an EastEnders character known for her feistiness (Credit: BBC)

At the time it was believed she left to concentrate on other acting roles.

She went on to appear in several low budget horror movies – including Fanged Up and Monster.

Why did she return to the soap?

Danielle said she returned to the soap because she was fed up with her other acting offers.

She said that she was offered a slew of “sleazy” roles as either an exotic dancer or a prostitute.

Speaking to The Mirror, the star explained: “I was stereotyped – it was the classic prostitute or pole dancing role

“I think it was because of my blonde hair.”

She returned in April 2019 and has been a regular since.

Is Lola in EastEnders related to Billy?

Yes. Lola is the granddaughter of Billy Mitchell on EastEnders.

She is the daughter of Leanne and Dan Pearce.

Dan is Billy’s son.

What has Danielle said about her character?

Back in 2011 Danielle said landing the role was like “a dream”.

Speaking on Day Break, she said: “I’ve watched EastEnders since I can remember, I’m a big fan.”

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She added that sometimes people are scared of her because Lola is so feisty.

But insisted she’s nothing like that in real life.

She said: “One little girl looked really scared of me. I said ‘It’s OK I’m not really like that – it’s not real!”

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor