"I could easily have ended up like Lola" says EastEnders star Danielle Harold

"I could easily have ended up like Lola" says EastEnders star Danielle Harold

She's the feisty care home kid of Albert Square who has stolen, schemed, been arrested and got pregnant after a one-night stand with killer Ben Mitchell.

Now broken Lola Pearce is set to run away with her baby in a desperate bid to free herself from the grasp of social services, reports the Sunday People.

But the drama of Lola’s life in EastEnders isn’t far off from that of Danielle Harold â€" the actress who plays her.

In fact, the pretty 21-year-old battled her own heartache when someone she knew was stabbed to death yards away from her south-east London home.

The murder shocked Danielle, who was 16 at the time, and taught her to become streetwise â€" much like her character in the hit BBC1 soap.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday People, she revealed: “I didn’t grow up in a great area â€" it was a tough place to live at times.

“A local boy who lived a few st reets away from me was out one night and ran into the wrong crowd. He was stabbed and died.

“That was a massive eye-opener for me, I was only 16 but it made me realise that there are dangers out there.

“It made me grow up a lot and I learnt how to be street wise which helped me so much with Lola.

“It was terrible when he died but it’s made me appreciate what I’ve got.”

When Lola first arrived in Albert Square she wreaked havoc by crashing a car into the chippy, smashing up the garage and getting arrested.

Then she got pregnant with Lexi who was later taken into care.

Danielle Harold

Danielle wasn’t as wild but she regularly truanted from school and answered back in class.

She explained: “I didn’t do well at school. I used to bunk off lessons a lot.

“I always felt frustrated because I couldn’t understand maths and English.

“I knew I’d never get good grades. I was more into drama and sports.

“I wouldn’t cause trouble but I had a lot of Lola’s attitude.

“I’d be feisty and answer back. I was so small when I started secondary school that I’d have to stick up for myself.

“A lot of girls in my school were very loud so I had to speak up to have my voice heard.

“But I never got in fights, it was more chat to be honest.

“A lot of the girls had babies at my school and that was one route I could have gone down but that wasn’t for me.

“Luckily I had great parents and they were able to guide me, which is something Lola has never had.”

Then at the age of 15 Danielle was struck down by illness and had regular stints in hospital.

At that point she gave up on herself and her future.

She said: “When I was in year 10 I fell ill and I was in and out of hospital.

“At that point I just gave up. I didn’t try with my GCSEs and I only got one.

“After that I worked as a waitress but I didn’t really enjoy it. I lost all my confidence and I didn’t believe in myself.”

But then she saw an ­advert for Jamie’s Dream School.

The reality TV programme â€" fronted by top chef Jamie Oliver â€" enrolled a group of teenagers with fewer than five GCSEs and helped them to achieve their dreams.

Danielle was a hit with the celebrity teachers including Cherie Blair, Simon Callow and Alastair Campbell.

Her history teacher David Starkey was so impressed by one of her essays that he encouraged her to apply to Cambridge University.

But Danielle had other ideas and pursued her acting ambitions.

Soo n after she landed her first job â€" playing Lola on EastEnders.

Danielle said: “Jamie Oliver was a complete life changer for me. I was so lucky to have got on that programme.

“It was so much fun and a completely new experience. It made me believe in myself and made me realise I could achieve whatever I wanted in life.

“You just need a little bit of encouragement sometimes and someone that believes in you.

“But some young people like Lola don’t have that support or encouragement.

“After going to Jamie’s Dream School I was told to apply to Cambridge University.

“One of the teachers was really keen on an essay I had written. I had never written an essay before so it was a bit of a shock.

“He introduced me to someone who would help me to apply. They really thought I could do it. But it wasn’t for me â€" acting was my calling. That’s when I landed the part of Lola. It was like a dream come true.”

Now that Lo la is part of the furniture in Walford, Danielle regularly gets mistaken for the outspoken teenager.

She said: “Sometimes I’ll go out and just put my hair in a ponytail and people will call me a chav on Twitter.

“They think I’m like Lola but that doesn’t bother me.

“As long as you are comfortable in yourself then who cares.

“It’s the same as being called a blonde bimbo. It’s just a stupid label. When people say that about Lola I don’t think they really understand the character.

“She can be annoying, of course she can, but she is a really strong person and she loves her daughter.

“But dealing with stuff like that just comes with being in the public eye.

“It has been strange because I don’t like being the centre of attention.

“I still live with my parents and I like the mindset that I’m not famous and I still live at home.

“It’s weird because a lot of people think I’m 16 like Lola.

< p>“It’s funny when I get young boys propositioning me, they don’t realise that I’m actually a few years older.”

Even though she has never looked back, Danielle doesn’t take anything for granted.

She said: “When I got the part on EastEnders my whole life flashed before my eyes. I was terrified and so happy.

“I still think to myself, ‘What am I doing standing in the Queen Vic?’

“Every day I feel I have to prove myself even after two years.

“I could be back waitressing next week â€" I come so far now but you never know what is going to happen. I am just grateful for every ­ opportunity I get.”