Saira Choudhry was born in Cheetham Hill, an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. She was born to an Irish mother and an Indian father, the latter of whom died when Choudhry was ten years old.[5]
Career
Choudhry first came to prominence in 2008, when she joined the cast of Hollyoaks as Anita Roy,[6] a part she played for 198 episodes, leaving the series in 2011.
After appearing in shows such as Coronation Street[7] and Doctors, Choudhry starred as PC Tegan Thompson in Channel 4's comedy drama series No Offence from 2015 to 2018.[8] On playing Tegan, Choudhry told the Manchester Evening News: "[Tegan]'s braver than me. She’s completely different to any character I’ve been known for before [...] It was nice to play such a strong female character and I think the way Paul has written her and the other women in the show is amazing. Women and men love to see that."[9][10]
In 2020, Choudhry appeared as Saira Malik in the BBC drama series Life.[11][12][13]
In 2022, Choudhry appeared as Alice in one episode of BBC comedy Peacock, alongside Allan Mustafa. Later in 2022, Choudhry starred as Nancy in the CBBC series Dodger, a reimagining of the Dickens’ character's life before Oliver Twist.[14][15]
In February 2024, it was announced that Choudhry had been cast as maths teacher Nisha Chandra in Waterloo Road.[16]
Personal life
Chaudhry's mother, Fae, is a no-smoking advisor. In 2010, Chaudhry helped to launch that year's No Smoking drive.[17][18]
In 2014, Choudhry set up her own drama school, TV Talent.[19][20]
In December 2022, Choudhry announced her engagement to Marcus Jackson.[21]
