Louisa Lytton has played Ruby Allen on and off in EastEnders since 2005
EastEnders’ Ruby Allen made a dramatic return to Walford last year, ahead of the BBC One soap’s thrilling 40th anniversary celebrations, which saw her cherished partner meet a tragic end. Ruby first graced Walford in 2005 as the daughter of notorious gangster Johnny Allen (Billy Murray), quickly forming a close bond with Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
However, their friendship crumbled when Ruby began dating Martin Fowler (James Bye), Stacey’s ex, years later. Upon Ruby’s return to the Square in 2024, it was revealed she had a young son named Roman who urgently needed a liver transplant.
Martin was soon identified as the toddler’s father and agreed to be his donor, saving his life. Ruby and Martin briefly rekindled their relationship, but their joy was short-lived as Martin tragically died following The Queen Vic explosion on Thursday (February 20).
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Away from EastEnders, Louisa, 36, hails from Camden, North London, and is an alumna of the Sylvia Young Theatre School in Marylebone. She secured her first acting role in 1997, featuring in an episode of ITV crime drama The Bill.
In 1999, Louisa appeared as a little girl in an episode of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders’ Let Them Eat Cake, and in 2002, she served as Emma Watson’s body double in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Her initial stint as Ruby Allen in EastEnders spanned from 2005 to 2006, ending when she departed in a taxi following her father’s funeral and a fallout with best friend Stacey, reports Plymouth Live.
Also in 2006, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing and made it through to the quarter-finals. Louisa then returned to The Bill in 2007 to play the recurring character PC Beth Green until 2009.
In 2010, she appeared in an episode of BBC medical drama Casualty, and in 2014, she had a recurring role in Edge of Heaven.
In September 2018, Ruby returned to Walford as Louisa reprised her role 12 years after she had left the show as a teenager.
In order to facilitate Louisa’s maternity leave, Ruby was sent to prison in November 2021 after being wrongly accused by the Slater family of running a cannabis farm, and she returned in 2024.
Family life
Louisa tied the knot with long-term partner Ben Bhanvra in July 2022. They were first set to marry in August 2020 but had to postpone their big day three times due to the Covid pandemic.
Speaking to OK! after postponing her wedding for the first time, Louisa explained that it had been an emotional experience.
She said: “It was emotional making the decision to postpone it because you put all this work and effort into something, build it all up in your head, and then suddenly it’s not happening for ages.”
Louisa and Ben said “I do” in Siena in Tuscany in front of 90 guests including some of her EastEnders co-stars and celebrity friends, including Lacey Turner, James Bye and Zaraah Abrahams.
Louisa’s journey to motherhood reached a joyous milestone in August 2021 with the birth of her daughter Aura Olivia Bhanvra, although the experience was far from straightforward. After enduring a gruelling three-day labour, an emergency c-section became necessary.
Louisa shared: “The birth wasn’t what I planned. I really wanted a water birth and we did a hypnobirthing course, but at the same time I wasn’t married to the idea because I know sometimes it doesn’t go to plan, so I was open to whatever was safest”, reports OK!.
Now a family of three, they reside in a stylishly decorated home, having moved there four years prior. The transition from a compact flat to their current spacious abode allowed Louisa and Ben to create an airy, modern sanctuary.
Adding to her intriguing background, Louisa is related to Lisa Maffia, the former So Solid Crew singer and rapper.
Lisa, hailing from Brixton, contributed significantly to the UK garage scene alongside notable figures such as Romeo, MC Harvey, and Ashley Walters.
Despite their different paths—with Louisa captivating audiences on the Square and Lisa performing across the country—both cousins share a love for performance and have ventured into reality TV and film, marking similar strides in their entertainment careers.
EastEnders airs Monday – Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and iPlayer