Leslie Ash

Leslie Ash (born 19 February 1960 in Clapham, London) is an English actress, best known for her role in the sitcom Men Behaving Badly.

Having appeared in the 1978 British slapstick comedy Rosie Dixon, Night Nurse, her first major film role was playing the romantic lead in Quadrophenia in 1979. In 1983 she appeared opposite Nicky Henson as Nancy in the ITV situation comedy The Happy Apple playing a secretary whose opinions successfully reflected public opinion. She then played a regular role in crime series C.A.T.S. Eyes.

Ash's most famous role was playing Neil Morrissey's romantic interest Deborah (Debs) in the situation comedy Men Behaving Badly. This, after six series, led to other options, including the BBC's Mersey Beat and ITV's Where The Heart Is.

More recently, Leslie has appeared in BBC Radio 4's darkly comic radio series, Vent, alongside Neil Pearson, Fiona Allen and Josie Lawrence.

In May 2008 Leslie was asked by Transparent Television to make a documentary about the unregulated cosmetic beauty industry whilst exploring her own experiences. The programme, Leslie Ash: Face to Face was broadcast on ITV1 on 23 September 2008.

Ash is married to former footballer Lee Chapman, they have two children. Her sister is former 'Hot Gossip' dancer Debbie Ash. They appeared together as sisters in "Rosie Dixon, Night Nurse".

However it was in 2003 after Ash went for a simple cosmetic procedure to inject collagen into her lips that things took a tragic and very public turn leaving her with what the tabloid newspapers described as a "trout pout". She has since had surgery in an attempt to correct the mistake and has warned other women about the potential perils of having cosmetic surgery.

In April 2004 she was nearly killed by the MSSA super-bug (similar to MRSA but treatable by antibiotics), contracted while being treated in hospital for a collapsed lung and fractured rib caused by an accident at home in which she fell off her bed onto a table during a love-making session with her husband. In January 2008 she was awarded a record £5 million in compensation against the hospital, to cover past and future loss of earnings.