Elinor Lawless

Elinor Lawless (born 23 April 1982) is a Northern Irish actress, known for portraying the role of Stevie Nash in the BBC medical drama series Casualty. Prior to her role in Casualty, Lawless appeared in various stage productions and BBC television series, including EastEnders and Doctors.

Early and personal life
Lawless was born in Draperstown, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. At the age of three, she was diagnosed with two cardiac conditions; a hole in her heart and anomalous pulmonary venous connection, where blood runs in the wrong direction. She spent a lot of time in hospitals as a child, and at seven, she had open-heart surgery in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. She had regular check-up appointments until the age of 21, when she was deemed healthy. While attending St Mary's Grammar School in Magherafelt, she finished as runner-up in PricewaterhouseCoopers' award ceremony in the Leaders of Tomorrow category. She then trained in acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and won the Peter Akerman Award for Best Comedy Actress.

Lawless was married to fellow actor Peter Basham. Lawless and Basham had a son in 2016. He was born premature, and due to weighing under 2.2 kilograms, he spent days in a specialist baby unit. On the experience, Lawless felt that she could now relate to her parents due to their stress over her condition as a child. Lawless also commended the National Health Service for their treatment of herself and her child.

Career
Lawless made her professional screen debut in Poisoned (2013), a short film. In 2015, alongside husband Basham, she starred in a production of Hansel and Gretel held at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. Then from 2018 to 2019, she appeared in various BBC television series. These roles included an episode of Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, a recurring role as Laura in EastEnders, and episodes of Casualty and Doctors. In 2021, she returned to Doctors for one episode as Liv Keane, before being cast as Stevie Nash in Casualty. Lawless felt "honoured" to be cast as a doctor on the series due to her appreciation for the NHS throughout her life. For her portrayal of Stevie, she was nominated for Best Daytime Star at the 2022 Inside Soap Awards.