Where you've seen White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood before - and it's not Skins

Back in 2019, burst onto our screens as the sweet and almost permanently upbeat Aimee Gibbs in the hit show Viewers quickly fell for the scene-stealing actress, who recently starred as free-spirited Mancunian Chelsea in season three of and couldn't help but think she bore a striking resemblance to the character of Gilly from Game of Thrones.

Fans of the epic fantasy drama will, of course, recall that Gilly is one of the many daughters of evil Craster, as well as his wife. Sam Tarley (John Bradley), encounters Gilly during his adventures with the Night's Watch behind the wall, and falls in love with her, raising her son, Sam, as his own. With her light hair, wide eyes, and strikingly similar features, many at the time found themselves checking to see if Aimee, now 31, had been part of the sprawling Game of Thrones cast. However, it was, in fact, a completely different teen show icon who played Gilly - Skins' very own Hannah Murray.

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From 2007 to 2008, Hannah, now 35, played Cassie Ainsworth, one of the drama's most memorable characters. Appearing in the first and second series, Cassie, like Aimee's fictional counterpart in Sex Education, was a quirky individual. Her storylines also included more serious themes, including her eating disorder.

After leaving the world of Skins behind, Hannah played Gilly in Game of Thrones between 2012 and 2019 and also went on to star in various award-winning films, including God Help The Girl (2014) and Brigend (2015).

Although they may look like sisters, Hannah and Aimee are not actually related. For Stockport-born Aimee, Sex Education was her onscreen debut, with the RADA grad kickstarting her career in theatre productions such as Mary Stuart and People, Places and Things.

Her first TV appearance was warmly received, with Aimee scooping up a British Academy Television Award for Best Female Comedy Performance. Now, it would appear that Aimee had the at her feet.

As well as starring in The White Lotus, the thespian also recently appeared as Tracey Taylor in the Netflix miniseries Toxic Town, which followed the stories of three mothers at the heart of the Corby toxic waste scandal and is set to make her screenwriting debut in upcoming series, Film Club.

Reflecting on this busy period in her career in an interview with The Cut, Aimee remarked: "It’s all been so much bigger and more abundant and overwhelming than I ever thought it would be." She added: "I don't think I really know. That's what this year is going to be. Getting real is 2025."

Meanwhile, in another recent interview with The Sunday Times, Aimee opened up about her recent ADHD diagnosis. Revealing that she was “almost mute, very socially anxious”, Aimee shared: “I got diagnosed a few years ago with ADHD with autistic traits. But then it’s been advised that I should go for an autism assessment. They think that maybe it’s autism that’s leading the charge, and the ADHD is almost a by-product of the masking.”

In the same piece, Aimee spoke about shooting more intimate scenes for The White Lotus, having previously “quite vulnerable" after appearing topless in Sex Education. Explaining how “really helpful chats” with other actresses made her feel “less alone”, Aimee, who has previously opened up about her struggles with body dysmorphia, said: “When I was younger, and I was dealing with my eating stuff, it was my worst nightmare to get my body out.

“But I’d worked through that stuff — and then I was back to covering up. I look back, and there was so much in the way that I started to desexualise myself. Sometimes, you just want to put on a sexy dress and be a siren, but I denied myself that.”

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