Dawn Steele returns as DCI Cora Macmillan in series 2 of Granite Harbour, and her character couldn’t be more different to how we last saw the actress – as downtrodden Stella Quinn in Shetland.
Series 1 of the BBC crime drama Granite Harbour followed Commonwealth immigrant Lance Corporal Davis Lindo after he finished his term with the Royal Military Police.
With dreams of joining New Scotland Yard, he began his police training in Aberdeen, a world away from what he was used to. Dawn Steele played Lindo’s new boss DCI Cora Macmillan, and she returns to the same character in series 2.
But what do you know Dawn from, who is her famous husband, and what’s her bracing hobby? Here’s everything you need to know about Granite Harbour star Dawn Steele.
Who plays DCI Cora Macmillan in Granite Harbour?
Dawn Steele portrays DCI Cora Macmillan in Granite Harbour.
Cora is Davis Lindo’s boss in the Aberdeen police and, in series 1, she was willing to give the young corporal a chance as he got used to life in Aberdeen – and struggled to follow protocol in his new life in Scotland.
In series 2, Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) is back, having decided to stay in Aberdeen and continue with his traineeship at the MIT team. However, his estranged father has decided to visit – and he has an agenda of his own.
The team members have their work cut out when ‘reformed’ drug kingpin, Grace McFadden’s notorious fixer, Lucas Galloway, turns up dead, a new cocaine and ketamine compound is flooding the streets, and there’s suspicion that there might be an impending turf war.
To complicate things, Davis has to investigate the case of an unknown pregnant shoplifting stowaway.
Was Dawn Steele in Monarch of the Glen?
Dawn Steele is probably best known for her role in Monarch of the Glen. She played Lexie McTavish in the BBC drama, which followed restaurateur Archie MacDonald (Alastair Mackenzie) returning to his childhood home in Scotland.
Lexie was the feisty housekeeper on Archie’s estate, Glenbogle, and there was clear chemistry between Lexie and Archie from the start. After much will they/won’t they anticipation, Archie finally confessed his feelings for Lexie in series 3.
They eventually became engaged, and their subsequent marriage meant she became Lexie MacDonald, the new Lady of Glenbogle. The couple eventually moved to New Zealand at the end of series 5. Lexie later made a couple of appearances in series 6, but did not return for the end of the show.
At the time, she explained her real reasons for departing the show, saying: “I felt I’d done enough of Monarch. Storyline-wise, we’d done it all. I’d been married, I was a laird, and where else could you go with it?
“It was Sunday night, nice comfort viewing. I wanted to stretch myself and do something to a completely different audience.”
What else has Granite Harbour star Dawn Steele been in?
Dawn Steele made her TV debut acting role in 1999, when she guest-starred in the series Highlander: The Raven. She subsequently went on to bag her first big role in the BAFTA-winning drama Tinsel Town. She starred as Teresa in the 2000 series, set in Glasgow’s club scene.
That same year, she won the role in Monarch of the Glen, which she left in 2004. She went on to play Justine McManus in the paranormal drama Sea of Souls. The fantasy series also starred Shetland favourite Bill Paterson.
You might also also recognise Dawn as vet Alice Collins-Trevanion from ITV‘s popular South Africa-set Wild at Heart. She played Danny Trevanion’s love interest from 2009 until 2013.
In 2016, she joined the cast of the Scottish soap River City as Annie. She played the wife of AJ Jandhu, before a dramatic affair saw her leave him for Alex McAllister.
She told the DailyRecord: “River City, weirdly, feels like a normal job. I’ve got a car parking space. You’re in a studio that’s like an office and you have a canteen and a dressing room.”
She later decided to leave River City due to the commute from her home in Kent to Scotland to film the series. After her River City exit, she joined the cast of Holby City. She played general surgeon Ange Goddard for 128 episodes before the show ended for good in 2002.
Other Dawn Steele roles include Film roles have included Jan in Gregory’s Two Girls, Tina in Marionette, and Amy Conroy in Surveillance.
More recently, Dawn played Stella Quinn in Shetland. Her character was central to the storyline, and had a sexual encounter with her own brother!
How old is Granite Harbour star Dawn Steele? Where is she from?
Dawn Steele was born on December 11, 1975, in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
That makes her currently 48 years old.
Dawn trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in the city. However, despite retaining her accent, she now lives in Whitstable, Kent, with her family.
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Is Dawn Steele married? Does she have children?
Dawn Steele married her long-term partner Paul Blair in the summer of 2017. Paul is also an actor, best known for his role as McAllister in the comedy series Dear Green Place, and Ross Clymer in Midsomer Murders.
He proposed at her 40th birthday party, after 10 years together.
She told DailyRecord: “We married at a venue which is on the beach. It was so sunny and gorgeous, and we really couldn’t have asked for more.”
However, her real life wedding coincided with her filming her on-screen wedding for her character Annie in River City… So she was a bit fed up with weddings by the end of the month!
She told the Daily Record: “I was planning my own wedding while filming the River City wedding, so I was kind of sick of talking about it to be honest.
“What was funny was things like Annie’s hen do… I literally took off the sash and the deely boppers for her hen do when I was filming, and then got in the car and went to my own hen weekend and put a sash back on! It was just too weird.”
In fact, Dawn revealed that she used the same hair and make-up girls from on-set for her own wedding.”
Does Dawn Steele have children?
Dawn Steele and husband Paul have a daughter called Coco Christie Mary Blair – who was a bridesmaid at their wedding!
Although Coco is now a very healthy and happy 12 years old school girl, her birth was not an easy one. Dawn gave birth two weeks prematurely via Caesarean section due to having suffered placenta praevia during her pregnancy.
In fact, the birth and following weeks were so traumatic, it left Dawn reluctant to have more children. Speaking to the Daily Record in 2012, she said: “It is like Chinese water torture. Four weeks after having Coco, I thought to myself, ‘This is supposed to be amazing and I am not enjoying it at all’.”
Describing Coco’s birth, Dawn admits she had been diagnosed with placenta praevia, a condition where the placenta grows over the opening of the cervix, making childbirth difficult.
She said: “I wanted to have a natural birth and it took me a while to get my head around having a Caesarean, but in the end, it was pretty amazing when she popped out.”
However, Dawn lost more than two litres of blood after the birth, and needed an emergency transfusion. She later admitted the experience of being a first-time mum had put her off having more kids.
The family live in Whitstable, Kent, on the coast of south-east England.
Does Granite Harbour star Dawn Steele have Instagram?
Dawn Steele does have Instagram. You can follow Dawn on @therealdawnsteele.
She often shares pics of her home in Whitstable, her wild swimming hobby, and her book recommendations. Yes, you read that right! Dawn is a keen cold water swimmer – and wears a swimsuit rather than a wetsuit! Rather her than us… We’re cold just thinking about it.
Read more: BBC confirms two new series of Shetland with Ashley Jensen reprising her role as DI Ruth Calder
Granite Harbour returns on Friday, May 03, 2024 at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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