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Where are the kids of Tracy Beaker now?

I can make my world come true, all my dreams will see me through

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Few CBBC shows got close to the pure quality of Tracy Beaker. As a kids’ drama it had it all – a great theme tune, a willingness to deal with issues, but most importantly a loveable, ragtag cast. But where are the Tracy Beaker cast now?

America has off-the-rails child stars – your Macauley Culkins and Lindsay Lohans. What do we, the nostalgic TV watchers of Great Britain, have? We have the cast of Tracy Beaker.

Which of the cast have won, and who are still stuck in the metaphorical dumping ground?

Tracy Beaker – Dani Harmer

If you’re into Tracy Beaker and don’t know what Dani Harmer, one of our country’s finest young actors is up to, then shame on you.

Here’s a refresher: Dani Harmer has spent a lot of time playing Tracy Beaker, but to reduce it to that does her a disservice. She’s started the Dani Harmer Academy of Performing Arts, and came fourth on Strictly.

But she really does love playing Tracy Beaker. Next year she’ll be re-re-re-reprising the role in new series My Mum Tracy Beaker, which will feature Tracy’s 11-year-old daughter.

Justine Littlewood – Montanna Thomson

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Oh will you just bog off

Arch-villain Justine Littlewood tormented the Dumping Ground with her on/off friendship with Tracy. By the end of the series, actor Montanna Thomson had been on the receiving end of countless “bog off” shouts.

But did she bog off? No she did not.

In 2007, a year after the end of the original run of The Story of Tracy Beaker, 18-year-old Montanna was caught in a Sunday People sting, pictured on “a wild all-night bender on cocaine, cannabis and booze,” where she reportedly “snorted a huge line of the Class A drug at the 12-hour party”. Classic.

Since that, it’s all been good. She’s had a baby, and starred in 2017’s horror flick Kill or be Killed, and returned for stints as Justine Littlewood.

Louise Goven – Chelsie Padley

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Tracy’s true BFF in the show, Louise was fairly posh but pretty innocuous – Justine Littlewood with the rough edges sanded off. Destined to go to either Warwick or Exeter and fit right in by talking about Pret a lot.

And like any posh, fairly innocuous person, Chelsie Padley, who played Louise in Tracy Beaker, is now a fitness Instagrammer and instructor, with just over 15,000 followers.

But not only that, she’s also taking TikTok by storm. Apparently she’s always getting told she looks like Louise from Tracy Beaker. “You’re absolutely fucking right,” she said. “I had the time of my life. It’s all been downhill since Beakz.” Louise would never.

Ben – Luke Youngblood

In a career development that’s both uplifting and surprising, Luke Youngblood, who played Tracy Beaker’s iconic DJ pal Ben, isn’t just living off that endlessly remixed Youtube clip with a string of SU clubnight appearances.

But no. He’s been in Glee, he’s been in Community, but did you know he was Quidditch commentator Lee Jordan in Harry Potter?

And now he has abs.

Marco – Jack Edwards

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This is basically how your flatmate looked when they had to fly back from Australia after spending all his Grandma’s inheritance on goon

Marco was the weird kid always dressing up in the wavy make-believe garms. Fun, but a handful. Like your mate who chins a bottle of wine at pres and throws up in the taxi.

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“Ring ring pussy it’s your mummy on the phone”

Abandoning a life of dress-up and make believe, Marco has achieved viral fame by yodelling in Walmart.

Actually, that’s a lie. Actor Jack Edwards is just living his life, bantering Elaine the Pain into another dimension.

And this is how he looks now:

Rio Wellard – Craig Roberts

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Hard to choose just one of Rio’s bandanas to screenshot, so this’ll do

After losing his Maroon 5 CD, Rio Wellard’s actor Craig Roberts channelled that rage into a decent acting career.

Unlike many of the Tracy Beaker cast, now Alex Turner lookalike Craig has not come crawling back to Duke, and instead used the series as a springboard.

Anyone who had a Tumblr account will remember his star turn in Richard Ayoade’s Submarine. But it didn’t stop there: Craig was also in 22 Jump Street and the shit “Effy gets a grad job” series of Skins, helping her to do some insider trading. He’s doing well.

Roxy Wellard – Sophie Borja-Edwards

Last year there were mad rumours flying around that none other than Amber from Love Island – yes, Amber ‘new rules for causal sex’ Davies – played the youngest Wellard.

The truth is more wholesome. Sophie Borja-Edwards, Roxy’s actual actor, is a vegan and has not been on reality TV.

tracy beaker cast now

via Twitter: @sophiecjborja

If you believe in the “official” version of events, that is.

Chantal Wellard – Deepal Parmar

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IT’S NOT A PHASE!!

Chantal was the eldest Wellard, ringleader of the plot to take over the Dumping Ground through intimidation and an increasingly aggressive use of hair dye.

Since Tracy Beaker, Parmar has been doing bits of acting, including Doctors and Casualty, but also had a role in Beauty on the Street, a short made by Darragh Mortell, none other than Crash.

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Crash – Daragh Mortell

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The anger issues which gave Crash his name suited him well to being friends with Tracy.

Now, actor Darragh Mortell is also a writer, who’s been in Diddy TV, Dick and Dom’s 2016 sketch show.

In 2016, Mortell directed a short film called “Donald Mohammed Trump”, which featured Chabuddy G from Kurupt FM.

Peter – Joe Starrs

You remember Peter. Peter, the cute boy with mop hair and a crush on Tracy Beaker. Essentially your small cousin you have to look after while your parents talk about adult things.

Now Joe Starrs, in an abject failure of nominative determinism, works as an assistant director, and has been crew on a Bradley Cooper film. If you want any proof he’s not the cute kid you once knew, and will definitely not be coming to the phone right now, Starrs was also the first assistant director on a 2018 short film called “Pianist in a Brothel”.

Lol – Ciaran Joyce

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Lol was a name we could all enjoy before the internet ruined everything. Now you just want to put 6 o’s in his name as you deadpan type into your group chat.

Well, hold your laughter. Ciaran Joyce is doing okay. As a pre-Beaker 11-year-old, he got his first acting gig in Les Miserables, and he was back there again in 2017, as an ensemble member, and again as revolutionary student Joly in 2019. What we really want is Lol and Bouncer facing off as Javert and Jean Valjean. You pick who’s who.

Bouncer – Ben Hanson

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The other half of the Dumping Ground’s greatest double act, you always hoped Bouncer from Tracy Beaker would turn out ok. It seemed he would, training as a chef.

Life’s taken a different, but still respectable path for his actor. Ben Hanson’s Twitter did have him down as an estate agent, but there days he’s gotten ripped and is now a PT.

But, Bouncer by name, bounce back by nature – he’s coming back into acting. Also he’s kinda dreamy now.

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Jackie – Abby Rakic-Platt

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Jackie about to drop some truth bombs on Tracy’s petulant face

Jackie, like everyone in the Dumping Ground, was Tracy’s rival/friend. Unlike everyone else in the Dumping Ground, she was ginger.

While Abby Rakic-Platt is still acting, she’s no longer ginger. She appeared as Kristy in E4’s Chewing Gum, which was written by I May Destroy You star Michaela Coel, who played main character Tracey. Some things change, some never do.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

The real Dumping Ground from Tracy Beaker is in Cardiff, and we visited it

Amber Davies has five ‘new rules’ about casual sex and oh my God – they are awful

Everything I learned re-watching Tracy Beaker as an adult