Actor Elinor Lawless is a dab hand when it comes to medical dramas.

The Irish-born star is the newest member of long-running show Casualty, where she joins Holby City Hospital as Stevie, a consultant with a dark past bent on seeking revenge against her new colleagues.

Elinor, from Draperstown in County Derry, joined Casualty at a particularly poignant time for the show, as the long-standing medical drama celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.

Elinor said she wants to pay tribute to doctors and nurses through her new role following her own health issues as a child.

Doctors found a hole in her heart aged three and also diagnosed her with anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, a condition whereby blood flows through the heart in the wrong direction.

This led to Elinor having open-heart surgery aged seven in Belfast and she went on to make a full recovery.

Before nabbing the part of Stevie, Elinor, 39, appeared in a variety of small-screen roles, including EastEnders (2019) where she played the part an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor who helped guide character Ruby Allen through her court case after she was raped.