Billie Piper's life from school with Amy Winehouse, teen fame and romance with 'stars'

Edinburgh Live

01-06-2025

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Billie Piper's journey to stardom as a highly praised actress has been anything but smooth, with her personal life also experiencing its fair share of turbulence. However, she's managed to amass an impressive net worth and is a proud mother to three children.
The 42 year old Swindon native first shot to fame nearly three decades ago as a teenage pop sensation. She later transitioned into acting, taking on the role of Rose Tyler, companion to Christopher Eccleston's Doctor in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who.
Her performance took both critics and viewers by surprise, and she continues to impress with her acting prowess today.
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Fast forward 20 years, and Billie has once again left us astounded. In the series finale, Ncuti Gatwa's current Doctor Who regenerated to reveal Billie, believed to be the new Doctor.
It's a remarkable return to the show that initially put her on the acting map, reports the Mirror.
Away from the cameras, however, Billie has faced some challenging times. Here, the Mirror takes a look back at her life so far, from her troubled teenage years, pop star fame, tumultuous love affairs and substantial net worth....
Schoolmates with Amy Winehouse.
Billie's talents were apparent from a young age, leading her to leave Swindon for London at just 12 years old to attend the esteemed Sylvia Young Theatre School. The school, known for cultivating future stars, has produced numerous familiar faces, though not all students had an easy ride - including Billie's childhood friend, Amy Winehouse.
In an intimate chat on Jessie Ware's Table Manners podcast, Billie reflected on Amy's childhood traits with fondness. She reminisced: "She was always cheeky. She was always like that, you know. She would do abstract stuff, and I really loved it."
Billie painted a picture of a 'super clever, super bright' Amy who didn't always fit in due to her standout personality. The darker side of Amy's uniqueness surfaced as Billie recounted the bullying her friend faced during school years.
"She got bullied quite a lot at school because she was doing her own thing, and she liked to push buttons, and do weird stuff. And I had a lot of space for that, but not many of the girls did. It wasn't the easiest ride."
Teenage Fame Challenges.
Propelled into the limelight at the mere age of 15, Billie experienced the dizzying heights of fame with her 1998 hit 'Because We Want To', securing her spot as the youngest artist to launch straight to number one on the UK Chart.
What followed for Billie after her chart-topping success with songs like 'Honey to The Bee' and 'Girlfriend' were not just the dreams of a typical '90s teen but also a series of unique pressures that came with such early stardom.
In a candid 2021 interview on Desert Island Discs, she talked about the weirdness of moving into her own flat just shy of her 16th birthday amid the sudden swirl of fame. Reflecting regretfully, Billie divulged to Lauren Laverne: "At the time, it felt really exciting and liberating and satisfied me with this quest to be a grown-up. It also felt extremely desperate and lonely sometimes."
She continued, 'I was seeing and experiencing a lot of life at a very young age. Now, when I look back at it now that I have my own children, it seems unbelievably unsafe and plays in unhealthily to my parenting".
Her rise to stardom wasn't without its dark moments as well. Billie fell victim to a chilling campaign of harassment early in her career.
In 2001, Blackfriars Crown Court heard how a woman sent threatening letters filled with horrific abuse before verbally delivering these threats by phone to Billie's record company.
The malicious communicator had branded the then-teen pop sensation a "whore" and issued grisly warnings of beheading, mutilation, immolation, whipping, and gunfire. The instigation for this campaign of terror?
The woman believed Billie had shot her a "dirty look" while she was part of a TV show audience.
Adding to the strains of fame, Billie's liaison with teen pop idol Ritchie Neville from Five ended in heartbreak. During their teen years, while both were rapidly gaining fame, they became the epitome of young love, until it came crashing down with Ritchie's infidelity.
Ritchie expressed deep "regret" for his indiscretion with a Russian woman during a tour, an affair that made headlines after she sold her story to a British tabloid in 2000.
In the BBC documentary 'Boybands Forever', he confessed: "It massively hurt somebody that I loved. I regret any pain I caused but equally I was 19 you know? I made a mistake. It ended a relationship."
Billie Piper's whirlwind marriage.
At the tender age of 18, Billie Piper tied the knot with her first husband, Chris Evans, in 2001, just five months following their initial meeting. With Chris being 16 years older, their marriage sparked quite the stir due to the significant age difference, yet Billie now recalls their shared time as a healing and joyous chapter.
During a candid chat on 'David Tennant Does A Podcast With...', Billie opened up about her past with Evans: "I went and got completely hammered for three years with Chris Evans. So much fun - just living very hard. But with a lot of love and a big dose of curiosity and just, yeah - amazing time."
She also addressed the public perception of that era, saying: "It's funny because everyone framed that period in my life as these sort of horribly debauched, irresponsible, me falling apart looking like s***, putting on weight. That was really important to me, that period of my life. I needed that. Me not looking perfect every day in a tabloid was the best way for me to heal."
Billie Piper has candidly revealed that her polished public image often masked a much darker reality, confessing: "Every time there would be a picture of me looking completely groomed and manicured within an inch of my life, I can tell you I was completely unhappy and starving and dark on the inside. And I haven't brushed my hair since!".
She reflected on her past relationship with a touch of nostalgia, saying: "We really had a really amazing time together. I imagine it's what your uni years feel like - sort of reckless, but you're learning a lot. It was an incredible time and, not to undermine our relationship because we also had a very loving relationship. It wasn't just 'oh, we're going out and getting f*****' - we had a very caring and loving relationship."
(Image: PA Wire)
(Image: Justin Ng / Avalon)
(Image: GETTY)
Despite the intense love they shared, Billie and Chris's marriage dissolved in 2004 amidst whispers of explosive arguments. However, the pair reportedly maintain a strong friendship even now.
Moving on to new chapters, Billie began a romance with actor turned political commentator Laurence Fox in 2006, marrying him a year later. The couple welcomed two sons, Winston and Eugene, but eventually parted ways in 2016.
Speaking to British Vogue, Billie didn't mince words about her split from Laurence, known for his contentious opinions, stating: "I've had to make some choices and a divorce speaks for itself. Or at least it should."
She further mentioned how she focuses on maintaining stability for her children, adding: "I close everything down and keep a very strict routine with the kids so that there's consistency.
"I keep them close. That's all I can do. I try to keep people from telling me stuff but it's really, really hard. I don't read it but everyone wants to talk about it. Sometimes I have to say to people, 'Please don't bring this to me, now or ever'."
Following her split, Billie started dating Johnny Lloyd, the former lead singer of Tribes, and in 2019, they had a daughter named Tallulah. However, after an eight-year relationship, they parted ways in 2023, stating that their relationship had simply run its course.
In a heartfelt conversation on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast in 2021, Billie opened up about the challenges of balancing her demanding career with motherhood. She confessed: "Striking a balance is unachievable and as soon as you let go and just accept that, there are useful changes... I cry at the end of every day and spend an hour in bed saying, 'I'll be better tomorrow, I swear. I'm going to read my parenting manual tonight and everything will be better tomorrow.'".
Billie also penned an emotional open letter to Tallulah, published in Stylist, where she revealed that she had initially been consumed by fear at the thought of having a daughter. She was so worried about all the things she didn't want Tallulah to go through that she hadn't realised just how much joy her arrival would bring her.
She penned: "You have restored – without knowing it – all my faith in strong female energy. I want to learn from you and revel in your beauty. You are not just female, you are other. And from listing all of my anxieties above (there are many and I promise to always work on myself), I'm at my most calm and able around you. You are powerful."
An enviable net worth.
Following her stint on Doctor Who in 2005, Billie secured leading spots in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and I Hate Suzie, which she co-developed with playwright Lucy Prebble, as well as a role in the Netflix series, Scoop.
Her sparkling stage career is just as impressive - nabbing Best Theatre Actress for Great Britain in 2014 and receiving the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award, along with numerous other prizes for her leading role in Yerma in 2017.
With such a remarkable career journey, she's cultivated quite the fortune. Reports from Celebrity Net Worth suggest the actress stands at a net worth of $12 million (around £9 million).