Gina Yashere

Before she ever stepped on a stage, Gina Yashere worked as a lift maintenance technician and engineer, a job that took her into the shafts and machine rooms of London's buildings. She was born in Bethnal Green, London, in 1974, to an immigrant mother from Nigeria. That background, plus a sharp eye for the absurdities of everyday life, eventually led her to comedy.

Yashere began performing in 1996, when she was around 22 years old, and has since built a career spanning three decades as a comedian, actress, writer, and producer. She is British and Black, stands 5'9" with a chubby build, and is openly lesbian. Her comedy often draws on her family history and her experiences as a Black British woman. She is 52 years old now, with over 30 years of active work behind her. Her natural look, including her natural breasts, remains part of how she presents herself publicly.