Abigail Lucy Cruttenden (born 23 March 1968) is an English actress. After beginning her career as a child actress, she went on to play opposite Sean Bean, her first husband, as his character Richard Sharpe's wife Jane in several episodes of the TV series Sharpe. She has since become known for her roles in sitcoms, which include Kate Weedon in the ITV comedy series Benidorm (2007–2009) and Anna in the BBC sitcom Not Going Out (2014–2023).
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Early life
Cruttenden was born on 23 March 1968 in Richmond, London to a family with history in the acting industry. Her grandmother, Cynthia Coatts (1915–2013) founded the Rosslyn School of Dance and Drama in London, while her mother, Julia (née Coats; 1938–2013), ran the stage make-up school Greasepaint in London. Her father, Neville Cruttenden (1940–1990), was an advertising executive who also indulged in amateur theatrics before deciding to become a professional actor at 49. Her brother is Hal Cruttenden, a stand-up comedian, and she has an older sister Hannah, who works in journalism.
Career
Cruttenden started her acting career when she was 12, appearing in the BBC2 Playhouse episode Elizabeth Alone in 1981. She gained significant notice in only her second screen role in the critically acclaimed TV film P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang, playing the object of affection to a lovesick schoolboy in the coming of age drama, which was written by Jack Rosenthal. As she recalled in a newspaper interview in 1996, she did not realise she would have to kiss costar John Albasiny towards the film's climax. "I was 14 and painfully shy, like my character. I vividly remember them saying we had to kiss at the end. I was completely thrown because it wasn't in the script. Tears welled in my eyes and I mumbled 'All right then.' But I had never kissed anyone before, ever. It was all rather traumatic."
