Rachel Shenton, known for her role as Helen Herriot in the Channel 5 reboot of All Creatures Great and Small, has been married to actor and filmmaker Chris Overton since summer 2018. The couple, who met on the Hollyoaks set in 2010, share a son named Orson Wilde Overton, born in April 2025.
Rachel Shenton's Rise to Fame
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 theatrical production garnered critical praise, resulting in small television appearances on programmes including Holby City and Waterloo Road.
Rachel starred in Nickelodeon's Genie in the House and Five's Sophia's Diary, while also featuring in commercials for DFS and the Ministry of Defence. Her 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 scenes broadcast the subsequent year. In 2014, she made her American television debut in Switched at Birth, appearing until the show's conclusion in 2017. Her credits also include dramas such as For Her Sins, A Confession, and The Rumour.
Academy Award-Winning Short Film
Rachel and her husband, Chris Overton, garnered widespread praise for their short film, The Silent Child, which tells the story of a six-year-old deaf girl living in isolation until encountering a compassionate social worker. Rachel penned the screenplay and took a leading role, while Chris directed.
The pair secured multiple accolades for their production, including an Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 2019. The Silent Child emerged from Chris and Rachel's production company, Slick Films, which has developed several projects, including the short films In Too Deep and Roy, both featuring Stephen Wight.
Marriage and Family Life
Rachel Shenton married actor and filmmaker Chris Overton in summer 2018. The couple is believed to have first met on the Hollyoaks set 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 an intimate summer ceremony, after an eight-year relationship sparked by their shared passion for film and television.
Their private ceremony took place amidst the excitement surrounding their Academy Award triumph. In conversation with The Sun, Rachel revealed: "We got married not that long ago in amongst all the madness. It was a very private event; we wanted to keep it private, but I am so happy though."
The pair reside in London with their son, Orson Wilde Overton, who arrived in April 2025. Sharing the news on social media at the time, Rachel posted a sweet black-and-white photograph of her newborn's tiny feet with the caption: "On the 09.04.2025 my dream came true....Welcome to the world Orson Wilde Overton....Our hearts are yours."
All Creatures Great and Small airs Thursday at 9pm on Channel 5.
