Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Biography

Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor was born in West Middlesex to Janet Ellis, then an actress, but later better known as a presenter on the TV series Blue Peter (on which Sophie appeared with her mother at the age of six, modelling snoods), and Robin Bextor, an award-winning film director.

Ellis and Bextor divorced when Sophie was four years old. She has three sisters and two brothers. She has often spoken about being very close to her family growing up and she often takes her brothers and sisters to work with her. Her brother Jackson Ellis-Leach is currently her drummer. Her official website hyphenates her surname, which is the joining of her parents' surnames; some other sources separate the names with a space. She went to school at St. Stephen's School and later Godolphin and Latymer School in Hammersmith.

Among her earliest public performances were with the W11 Opera children's opera from the age of thirteen.

In August 2006 it was announced that she was the new 'face' of high street fashion chain Monsoon replacing the model Sophie Dahl.

In 2007, Sophie appeared at Christmas in the Robbie the Reindeer episode, "Close Encounters of the Herd Kind". Sophie was depicted as a female alien at the closure of the story, singing the song 'Supersonic', the last track on her third solo studio album Trip The Light Fantastic.

In November of this year she also launched the npower Greener Schools Programme, which aims to give schools in the UK a 'green makeover' by providing free energy audits, implementing tailor-made energy efficiency measures to reduce their carbon footprint, and educating children on how to be greener.

She also launched Capital Radio's Capital 95.8 'Lights Out London' campaign, which asks Londoners to switch off their lights for one hour in a bid to save 750 MWh and send a message to the world on the importance of climate change.

In May 2008 it was reported that Sophie was hired by cosmetics brand Rimmel as one of their new faces. She was apparently taken aboard after wowing Rimmel's bosses in secret screen tests.