Julie Anne Merkell (née Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series Grange Hill (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1993–1999, 2008–2014, 2019), which earned her the British Soap Award for Best Actress. Early life Palmer was born and grew up in Bethnal Green, East London. She attended Globe Primary School and then Haggerston Girls Secondary School. She was brought up along with her two elder brothers, Albert and Harry, by her mother Pat. She also has half siblings named Georgia and Berty. Her mother first spotted her acting talent and encouraged her to go to Anna Scher's acting school in London. Palmer was bullied at school, and has said that acting was a form of escape. At age six, she appeared in a West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Career Early career Upon enrolling at the Anna Scher Theatre school, and learning about an accomplished actress already with the name Julie Harris, Palmer adopted her current name by using her mother's maiden name and changing her given name to her mother's pet name, Patsy. Palmer made her screen debut in the television programme The Gentle Touch in 1984. Like many other EastEnders actors, Palmer appeared on the children's drama show Grange Hill between 1985 and 1987. She went on to have small roles in BBC's Tricky Business (1989), Making News (1990), Clarissa (1991), Love Hurts (1992), Drop the Dead Donkey (1993), and The Bill (1993), and she also appeared as an acne-ridden teenager in a Clearasil advert. EastEnders In 1993, she was cast in the role of feisty Bianca Jackson in BBC's soap opera, EastEnders. Bianca's on-screen marriage to Ricky Butcher (Sid Owen) in 1997 drew one of the biggest soap audiences ever — more than 22 million. She remained in the role for six years, but quit in 1999 to spend more time with her family and to concentrate on other projects. She reprised the role in May 2002 in a special entitled, EastEnders: Ricky and Bianca. The two-part, hour-long special was filmed in Manchester, which reunited Bianca and Ricky for the first time in over two years. In 2005, Palmer publicly criticised EastEnders, branding the storylines ridiculous and unbelievable and stating that she "wouldn't go back to EastEnders". However, in