Biography
Laila Abdesselam Rouass (born May 22, 1971) is a well-known actress and model born and raised in Britain.
She is best known for her roles as Amber Gates in the popular television show “Footballer Wives” from 2004 to 2006 and as Sahira Shah in the series “Holby” from 2011 to 2012.
Laila has gained a significant following for her talent and versatility as an actress.
Early life
Laila Rouass is a British actress and television personality born on May 22, 1971, in Stepney, a neighborhood located in the East End of London, England, United Kingdom.
She is the offspring of an Indian mother and Moroccan father and one of seven children. Laila grew up in Tower Hamlets, another neighborhood located in the East End of London, in a household that practiced Islam.
Despite her upbringing in a Muslim family, Laila has stated that she no longer practices the religion but still considers it a part of her identity.
Laila is English by nationality and has an English personality, reflected in her work as an actress and television personality.”
Career
Laila Rouass began her career as a video jockey (VJ) on the Indian television channel Channel V in the 1990s. In this role, she would introduce and present music videos to viewers.
While working as a VJ at Channel V, Laila also appeared in a music video for the band Colour Blind. Shamin Desai, the head of creative content for the channel at the time, directed the video.
She returned to the United Kingdom after spending some time in India, where she landed the role of Bollywood actress Amber Gates in the famous ITV1 series Footballers’ Wives.
The show aired between 2004 and 2006 and was well-received by audiences and critics alike.
After her time on the show, she decided to pursue a career in acting and returned to the UK to start building her resume. During this time, she received widespread recognition for her looks and was included in FHM’s annual list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World for two consecutive years, in 2004 and 2005.
This helped to further boost her visibility and establish her as a talented and sought-after actress in the industry.”
Personal life
In 1990, Laila tied the knot with Abdeslam Rouass, but unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last, and they ended up getting divorced in 2003.
Laila then moved on and found love again with a London businessman named Nasir Khan, whom they married in 2005.
However, things didn’t work out between the two of them, and they separated before Laila gave birth to their daughter, Inez, in 2006. After the divorce from Khan, Laila had a brief romance with celebrity chef James Petrie, which lasted from 2010 to 2011.
In 2012, Laila started a new relationship with expert pool player Ronnie O’Sullivan, and the couple became engaged at some point during their time together.
However, they ultimately decided not to get married and ended their relationship in February 2022 after a decade of being together.
Filmography
- Senso Unico (1999)
- Split wide open (1999)
- Bawandar (2000)
- The four feathers (2002)
- Two minutes (2003)
- Shoot on sight (2007)
- Apron strings (2008)
- Free bird (2008)
- Conon the barbarian (2011)
- Family affairs (2001)
- The comedy (2002)
- Casualty (2002)
- Hollyoaks (2003)
- I dream (2004)
- Footballers’ wives (2004-2006)
- Life isn’t all ha ha hee hee (2005)
- Footballers’ wives extra time (2005)
- Meet the mangoons (2005)
- Casualty (2006)
- Primeval (2009)
- The Sarah Jane Adventures (2010)
- Spooks (2010)
- Holby City (2011,2012,2021)
- Sadie J (2011)
- Midsomer murders (2014)
- The royals (2015)
- Stella (2016)
- The lodge (2016)
- Safe (2018)
Social media
- Instagram @lailarouass
- Twitter @lailarouass
Net worth
Laila has been listed to be approximately US$ 2 million.
