Quick Facts
Biography
Mika Simmons (born March 18, 1976) is a British actress and the founder of the Lady Garden Campaign. She studied at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, before becoming an actress. She starred in the BAFTA award-winning TV film, Falling Apart, which aired on Channel 4. She was also part of the main cast for ITV's version of the novel Frenchman's Creek and ITV's Unforgotten. Simmons has also starred in a number of stage roles, including the award-winning, You Once Said Yes.
Simmons founded the Gynaecological Cancer Fund in 2014 in honour of her late mother. The fund has become a leading cancer awareness charity in the UK and is supported by numerous brands and celebrities, such as Topshop and The Duchess of York. The fund aims to raise funds for research into these cancers commonly known as the silent killers at The Royal Marsden Hospital. The fund’s Lady Garden Campaign was launched in September 2015, which has become a major movement to raise international awareness about Gynaecological Cancers.
Early life
Simmons was born on March 18. 1976 in Greenwich, London. She grew up in Somerset and attended school there, before moving to Leeds to study there. She graduated with a BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Leeds.
Following graduation, Simmons trained as an actress at the Drama Studio in London.
Career
Following her education, Simmons landed a role on ITV's Frenchman's Creek. It was a TV film based on the novel of the same name. The film follows Lady Dona, who uncharacteristically becomes involved with a French pirate and steals a British ship. Simmons played the role of Prudence in the film.
In 2002, she played the role of Sally in Channel 4's TV movie, Falling Apart. The film was a period drama, about domestic violence in a middle-class relationship in Britain. The success of the film led it to receive positive reviews in the British media. It went onto win two BAFTA's, with best new director in the fiction category and also a new writer award. In 2011, Simmons played in the play, You Once Said Yes, which won both the Fringe First and Total Theatre awards.
Simmons became the voice of Queen Anora in the video game series, Dragon Age, in 2012. More recently, she starred in the ITV drama, Unforgotten. In 2016, she played the role of Kate in Film London's Balcony. The film went onto win a Crystal Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. She is currently in pre-production for the self-penned short feature film, Rain Stops Play.
In 2017, she was chosen as one of 40 inspirational women to front L’Oréal Lancôme’s powerful women campaign.
Lady Garden Campaign
Simmons founded the Gynaecological Cancer Fund in 2014 to raise funds and awareness of a number of gynaecological cancers. Dr. Susana Banerjee at The Royal Marsden Hospital as played a part in the establishment of the fund and is now one of the main beneficiaries. Since it establishment in 2014, the Gynaecological Cancer Fund aimed to raise £750,000 to assist Dr. Banerjee with her research into treatments.
The fund's most notable achievement is the launch of the Lady Garden Campaign. The Lady Garden Campaign was started by the Gynaecological Cancer Fund as a social media campaign to raise awareness, promote screening and fund research into better treatment of gynaecological cancers. Since 2015, the campaign has coordinated its promotional efforts around Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place in Britain in every September.
As soon as the social media campaign was launched, it saw huge celebrity endorsements online, from the likes of Ellie Goulding, Margot Robbie, Alexa Chung and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on social media. The media suggested that the campaign went viral in the summer of 2015, reaching more than 40 million people on social media within 24 hours.
In April 2016, the campaign held its first Lady Garden 5k, which took place in Battersea Park, London.
Notable appearances
- Chambers in Unforgotten (2016)
- Queen Anora in the video game series, Dragon Age (2012–present)
- Emily in You Once Said Yes (2012)
- DI Kitson in Bad Girls (2005)
- Gemma Lynch in Casualty (2005)
- Sally in Falling Apart (2002)
- Prudence in Frenchman's Creek (1998)