Antonia Okonma

Antonia Okonma (born 24 July 1984) is a British actress of Nigerian descent. She is best known for playing the role of Darlene Cake in the ITV series Bad Girls from 2004–2006.

Antonia Okonma
Born (1984-07-24) 24 July 1984
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active2004–2009
Notable work
Bad Girls (2004–2006)
Spouse(s)Richard Shittu (m. 2012)
Children3

Early life

Okonma was born and raised in London. She was born into a Nigerian Igbo family.[1] She has a degree in Accounting and Finance from London South Bank University. She trained with the Royal Court's Young People's Theatre for two years.[2][3]

Career

Okonma's early career consisted as of work as an extra on an episode of Hollyoaks.,[4] and an appearance in the short RUF 992m.

In 2003, Okonma was cast in role of Darlene Cake in the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls, first appearing in the sixth series, which broadcast in 2004. The character of Darlene Cake was of Jamaican origin, which required Okonma to speak with a Jamaican accent. She appeared in the sixth, seventh and eighth series, making her final appearance in the penultimate episode in 2006, when Darlene attempts suicide by setting herself on fire. Although, she is seen to have survived, her fate is left unknown, and was not explained in the final episode.

In 2004, Okonma won a Gathering of Africa's Best (GAB) award for Best Newcomer and a Screen Nation award for Best Emerging Talent for her work in Bad Girls.

Following her role on Bad Girls', received roles in the British feature films Screaming Blue Murder and Rabbit Fever, and a minor role on the BBC miniseries Moses Jones in 2009.

On stage, Okonma has acted at the Royal Court and the Riverside Studios. She starred in Torn at the Arcola Theatre alongside Brooke Kinsella and Jocelyn Jee Esien. She is currently playing the title role in the production of Iya Ile (The First Wife) at Soho Theatre.

She has also taken part in the reality TV programmes Strictly African Dancing. She also performed as Tina Turner on celebrity Stars in Their Eyes. In late 2007, she was a contestant on the second series of Cirque de Celebrité on Sky One.

Filmography
  • 2004: RUF 992m as Aleysha (short film)
  • 2004–06: Bad Girls as Darlene Cake (TV series • Series 6–8, 34 episodes)
  • 2006: Screaming Blue Murder (feature film)
  • 2006: Rabbit Fever as Rude Girl #1 (feature film)
  • 2009: Moses Jones as Hairdresser (Miniseries, episode 1)
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References
  1. Okonma
  2. "Interview - Antonia Okonma (Darlene) | BAD GIRLS | TV ONE". tvnz.co.nz. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. Antonia Okonma - Biography
  4. five
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