Introduction
Hannah Tointon is an English actress best known for playing Katy Fox in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks and Tara Brown in the popular comedy series The Inbetweeners. She has worked in British television, films, and theatre for more than two decades. Her career includes children’s comedy, soap operas, crime programmes, historical dramas, horror films, science fiction, and West End theatre.
Hannah also attracts attention because of her long-term relationship with actor Joe Thomas. The two met while portraying Tara Brown and Simon Cooper in The Inbetweeners. Their fictional romance ended badly, but their relationship away from the cameras became successful and long-lasting. They became engaged and later welcomed a daughter, although the exact status of their wedding remains unclear.
Quick Bio of Hannah Tointon
| Bio Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hannah Tointon |
| Date of Birth | December 28, 1987 |
| Age | 38 years old |
| Birthplace | Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Profession | Actress |
| Years Active | 2003–present |
| Parents | Ken and Carol Tointon |
| Sister | Kara Tointon |
| Partner | Joe Thomas |
| Relationship Status | Engaged; no publicly confirmed wedding |
| Engagement Year | 2017 |
| Children | One daughter, born in 2022 |
| Famous For | Hollyoaks and The Inbetweeners |
| Hollyoaks Role | Katy Fox |
| The Inbetweeners Role | Tara Brown |
| Notable Movies | The Children, Captain Webb, and The Festival |
| Other TV Shows | Mr Selfridge, The Hour, Call the Midwife, and The Midwich Cuckoos |
| Latest Work | Joy in Patience |
Who Is Hannah Tointon and How Old Is She?
Hannah Tointon was born on December 28, 1987, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. She is 38 years old as of August 2026 and will turn 39 in December 2026. She has been professionally active since the early 2000s and has created a varied career rather than depending on one famous television character.
Hannah is often recognised by viewers who remember her from Hollyoaks, The Inbetweeners, or Mr Selfridge. However, she has appeared in many other productions, including Kerching!, The Bill, Doctors, Switch, The Hour, Call the Midwife, Death in Paradise, The Midwich Cuckoos, and Patience. Her ability to move between comedy and serious drama has helped her maintain a long acting career.
Early Life, Parents, and Sister
Hannah was raised in Leigh-on-Sea by her parents, Ken and Carol Tointon. She reportedly attended St Michael’s School in Leigh and St Hilda’s School in Westcliff-on-Sea. She grew up with her older sister, Kara Tointon, who was born in 1983 and also became a successful English actress. Both sisters developed an interest in performance when they were young.
Kara Tointon is widely known for playing Dawn Swann in EastEnders and winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. Hannah and Kara later worked together in Mr Selfridge, where they also played sisters. Kara appeared as Rosalie Selfridge, while Hannah played the younger and more rebellious Violette. Hannah described working with her real-life sister as an enjoyable experience because they already had a close relationship.
Early Career and Hollyoaks Success
Hannah began receiving television roles during the early 2000s. One of her first important parts was Tamsin in the CBBC comedy Kerching!. She also appeared as Billie in Star, Celina Johnson in The Bill, Savannah Caskey in Dream Team, and Bethany Williams in Murder City. Other early credits included New Tricks, Genie in the House, and two different roles in Doctors.
Her major breakthrough arrived in 2007 when she joined Hollyoaks as Katy Fox, the younger sister of Warren Fox. Katy became involved in dramatic storylines connected with Warren, Justin Burton, and Clare Cunningham. Hannah remained in the regular role for approximately one year before leaving to explore other opportunities. The demanding soap schedule gave her valuable experience and prepared her for more varied television and film performances.
Hannah Tointon in The Inbetweeners
Hannah joined the third television series of The Inbetweeners in 2010 as Tara Brown. Tara became the girlfriend of Simon Cooper, played by Joe Thomas. Simon had spent much of the programme pursuing Carli D’Amato, but his relationship with Tara gave him an opportunity to move forward. Unfortunately, his insecurity and embarrassing behaviour eventually caused their relationship to collapse.
Tara appeared in three memorable episodes involving a concert, a disastrous double date, and an uncomfortable trip to Warwick. Although Hannah’s role covered only a small number of episodes, Tara became one of the programme’s most remembered supporting characters. The role also changed Hannah’s private life because she and Joe Thomas developed a genuine relationship while working together on the series.
Hannah Tointon and Joe Thomas’s Relationship
Joe Thomas and Hannah Tointon met during production of The Inbetweeners in 2010. Their on-screen characters experienced a short and unsuccessful romance, but the actors became close away from filming. Reports about their real-life relationship appeared during the same year. They later began living together and occasionally attended film premieres and entertainment events as a couple.
Hannah and Joe became engaged in 2017 after being together for around seven years. In 2022, they welcomed their first child, a daughter. Hannah’s sister Kara publicly shared the happy news during a podcast appearance. The couple have protected their daughter’s privacy and have not widely published her name or personal information. Their private approach has allowed them to raise their child without constant media attention.
Hannah Tointon’s Movies and TV Shows
Hannah’s movie career includes several different genres. She played Casey in the 2008 British horror film The Children, which follows a family gathering that becomes terrifying. She later appeared as Giselle in the television movie The Lost Future. Her other film credits include Young, High and Dead, Walking with the Enemy, Captain Webb, and horror anthology projects such as Patient Seven and Minutes Past Midnight.
In 2018, Hannah appeared as Caitlin in The Festival, starring alongside Joe Thomas. Her television work after The Inbetweeners included Sinbad, The Midnight Beast, Switch, The Hour, Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise, Call the Midwife, and Penny Dreadful. She later played Violette in Mr Selfridge and Rachel Saunders in the science-fiction drama The Midwich Cuckoos, proving that she could perform across comedy, horror, crime, and period drama.
Hannah Tointon’s Husband, Wedding, and Life Now
Hannah is frequently called Joe Thomas’s wife, but their confirmed public status is less certain. Their engagement was widely reported in 2017, yet the couple did not publicly announce a wedding date, ceremony, or location. Some later celebrity articles describe them as married, while other reports continue to call Hannah Joe’s fiancée. No dependable public evidence clearly confirms a Hannah Tointon and Joe Thomas wedding.
The safest description is that Hannah is Joe Thomas’s long-term partner and publicly reported fiancée. They have remained together for many years and share a daughter. Hannah continues to act while maintaining a private family life. Her recent work includes playing Joy in the Channel 4 detective drama Patience. She appeared during its second series in 2026 and is returning for the third series, showing that her acting career remains active.
Conclusion
Hannah Tointon has developed an impressive career across television, movies, and theatre. From her early work in Kerching! and The Bill to her breakthrough in Hollyoaks, she gradually established herself as a versatile English actress. Her performance as Tara Brown in The Inbetweeners remains especially popular, while later roles in Mr Selfridge, The Midwich Cuckoos, and Patience demonstrate her continuing professional growth.
Her relationship with Joe Thomas has also become an important part of her public story. They met while filming The Inbetweeners, became engaged, and welcomed a daughter in 2022. Although they are often described as husband and wife, their wedding has not been publicly confirmed with reliable details. Hannah Tointon is now balancing motherhood, a private family life, and selected acting projects.
