UPDATE: |The Stolen Girl star Denise Gough’s life from homelessness to addiction struggles News

Denise Gough stars in the new Disney+ thriller The Stolen Girl but what do we know about the actress and her life off-camera, including her childhood and career?

The Stolen Girl star Denise Gough has sparked curiosity among fans who want to learn more about her personal life.

In The Stolen Girl, Elisa’s (played by Denise Gough) daughter goes on her first sleepover at friend Josie’s house, despite initial reservations from her mum.

However, after meeting Josie’s mum Rebecca (Holliday Grainger), Elisa feels reassured – only to discover the entire family, including her daughter, has vanished when she arrives to collect her the next morning.

With The Stolen Girl now available in its entirety on Disney+, subscribers are eager to delve into Gough’s life and background.

Large family

Hailing from County Clare in Ireland, Denise Gough was raised in a large family with her mum and nine siblings.

In a conversation with Annie Macmanus on the Changes podcast, Gough reminisced: “I mean my mother was amazing when I think of it because, my sister and I were talking about it the other day, like the house was immaculate.

“It really was. But I think we had a system so we all had jobs to do. So I also learned really early that you work.”

Gough, 45, further praised her mum’s resourcefulness, revealing how she crafted curtains, her own clothes, and even outfits for second-hand toys.

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Gough’s mother trained as a marriage counsellor but acknowledged: “I think we were provided for in the best way, but emotionally, it’s impossible to provide”, citing instances where she was dismissed with comments such as “stop looking for attention”.

Abuse

During her teenage years, Gough began experiencing problems and became “obsessed with smoking and boys”.

At just 14, she entered into a relationship with a 21-year-old man who would compliment her on her walk home from school, telling her she was “beautiful” despite acknowledging she was “too young for him”.

Reflecting on that time, Gough said: “I was groomed. I didn’t know that that’s what happened, because I always thought I had asked him to take my virginity.”

It wasn’t until later, after seeking help, that she understood the manipulative nature of grooming, realising what led her to make such a request at a young age.

The aftermath of her first sexual encounter left her feeling remorse: “So the first time that it happened, I remember afterwards I thought, oh no, I don’t like that. I don’t like what happened there. I don’t like it.

“I want to go back. And of course, you can’t go back.”

Drugs

Her struggles continued when she began dating another man and experimenting with ecstasy, initially at a teenage disco.

Reflecting upon her battle with addiction, Gough shared with Macmanaus, “I realise now that addiction, it’s a craving for love. Craving, softness, gentleness, kindness. That’s what I was looking for,” indicating how it influenced her search for affection and support.

Gough candidly disclosed how her early career suffered heavily under the weight of her addictions until she successfully pursued sobriety at the age of 27.

Homelessness

Gough departed County Clare at the tender age of 15 with her boyfriend, journeying to London in pursuit of an acting career.

However, her path was far from smooth as she found herself homeless in Camberwell, often in distress and begging for money outside theatres.

On her family’s perspective, Gough recalled: “Yes, my family will say and they should say, like, she could have come home at any time. I couldn’t. It was impossible. I was broken. I was so full of shame.

“There’s no way I could go back, you know. I went from being a kid who wanted to go to Trinity College to study acting, to living in a tent in a field at the back of my boyfriend’s house because I didn’t want to go home. How the hell did that happen?”

In between shifts at various bars, Gough seized the opportunity to attend a Saturday acting class, where a perceptive teacher associated with Alra (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts) encouraged her to audition.

Despite her struggles, including spending her resources on drugs, Gough reached out to her parents who generously funded her auditions, thus opening doors to her future in entertainment.

Acting

Now featured in The Stolen Girl on Disney+, Gough is perhaps most acclaimed for her theatrical talents, earning her a wealth of accolades.

Her outstanding performances secured her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role in 2016’s People, Places and Things, followed by another win for Supporting Actress in Angels in America two years on.

Gough has received numerous awards and nominations for her performances, including a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress for her role in People, Places and Things and a Tony Award nomination for Angels in America. Her on-screen credits include Andor, Robin Hood, Who Is Erin Carter?, Too Close, and Under The Banner Of Heaven.

In an interview on The Tommy Tiernan Show, Gough discussed the impact of acting on her life, stating: “There was a lot that happened [in my childhood] and acting, the theatre specifically, I knew I could do this thing and so, in the dark, when it seemed to the outside world ‘she’s a mess’.”

She also shared on the Changes podcast: “It’s [acting] saved my life. It continues to save my life. It’s my education, it’s my everything. It’s my everything.”

What’s next

Gough’s upcoming projects include the drama The Chain, written by Tobias Wolff, who also penned the memoir This Boy’s Life, which was adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Although no other cast members have been announced, the synopsis reveals: “A man’s daughter is viciously attacked by a dog, setting off a chain of events that ends in unspeakable tragedy.”

The project is currently in pre-production, with no release date announced yet.

The Stolen Girl is available to watch on Disney+.