All Creatures Great and Small star Rachel Shenton is married to actor and filmmaker Chris Overton, and the pair also won an Academy Award. The actress, 38, is currently starring as Helen Herriot in the Channel 5 period drama, which debuted in 2020.
The uplifting series is currently broadcasting its seventh series, delivering numerous memorable moments as Darrowby transitions into a calmer post-war period. Helen has thrived with contemporary agricultural methods as she remains optimistic that her new Friesian cattle will boost milk yields at her Yorkshire farm.
Rachel Shenton's famous husband
Rachel married Chris Overton in the summer of 2018. The couple is believed to have first met on the set of Hollyoaks in 2010, when she portrayed Mitzeee in the Channel 4 soap while her future spouse played Liam McAllister.
Chris, 37, has featured in numerous television programmes throughout his career, including Doctors, Prisoner's Wives, DCI Banks, and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. In 2018, Rachel disclosed that she had married Chris in a private summer ceremony, following an eight-year relationship sparked by their shared passion for film and television.
The Silent Child and Oscar success
Rachel and Chris garnered widespread praise for their short film, The Silent Child, which chronicles a six-year-old deaf girl who lives in silence until she encounters a compassionate social worker. While Rachel penned the script and took a starring role in the short, Chris assumed directorial duties.
The duo secured multiple accolades for their production, including an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 2019. The Silent Child was created through Chris and Rachel's production firm, Slick Films, which has produced numerous projects, including the short films In Too Deep, featuring Stephen Wight, and Roy, also starring Stephen Wight.
Family life and career
The pair reside in London with their son, Orson Wilde Overton, who arrived in April 2025. Breaking the news on social media at the time, Rachel posted a touching black-and-white photograph of her baby's delicate feet, accompanied by the words: "On the 09.04.2025 my dream came true....Welcome to the world Orson Wilde Overton....Our hearts are yours."
Rachel hails from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. She attended two secondary schools before pursuing performing arts at Stoke-on-Trent College. Her professional journey commenced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where her production garnered critical praise, resulting in supporting television parts on programmes including Holby City and Waterloo Road.
Rachel featured in Nickelodeon's Genie in the House and Five's Sophia's Diary, and appeared in adverts for DFS and the Ministry of Defence. Rachel's breakthrough arrived in 2010 when she secured the role of Mitzeee Minniver in Hollyoaks.
She opted to depart the soap in December 2012, with her concluding episodes broadcast the following year. In 2014, she made her American television debut in Switched at Birth, continuing with the programme until its concluding series in 2017. She has additionally featured in several compelling dramas such as For Her Sins, A Confession, and The Rumour. All Creatures Great and Small airs Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5.
