The Stolen Girl cast: Where have you seen Elisa Blix actor Denise Gough before?
The Stolen Girl stars Denise Gough as Elisa Blix in a five-episode mystery that first gripped Disney+ viewers last year and is now airing on ITV and available in full on ITVX. The Stolen Girl’s transfer between platforms has put renewed focus on Gough’s journey from a large household in County Clare to an award-winning theatre and screen career.
The Stolen Girl: premise and broadcast
In The Stolen Girl, Gough’s Elisa Blix is a mother whose daughter is excited for a first sleepover at a new friend Josie’s house. After meeting Josie’s mother, Rebecca — played by Holliday Grainger — Elisa allows the visit, only to arrive the next day and find Josie’s family and her own little girl missing. The five-episode series was written by Catherine Moulton and is based on the novel Playdate by Alex Dahl. It premiered on Disney+ last year and now airs on ITV on Wednesdays at 9pm, with the entire series streaming on ITVX.
Denise Gough: upbringing in Ennis, family and early work
Gough was born on February 28, 1980, in Wexford and raised in Ennis, County Clare, the seventh of eleven siblings. Her father worked as a fisheries head and as an electrician; her mother was a marriage counsellor. The household is described as bustling but impeccably maintained, with a system of chores that Gough says taught her to work early. Her mother made curtains, stitched clothing and even reworked outfits for second‑hand toys; the context also notes the mother was pregnant for nine-and-a-half years. Gough left school at 15 and pursued drama, later graduating from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in Wandsworth in 2003.
Theatre awards and career milestones
Gough’s stage work has been central to her reputation. Her performance in People, Places and Things at London’s National Theatre in 2016 is singled out as a career turning point; she reprised the role of Emma in 2024. For People, Places and Things she previously won an Olivier Award and a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award. Her work in Angels in America earned her a Tony nomination and another Olivier win. The accumulation of these honours has coincided with steady expansion into television and film.
Screen credits, recognitions and difficult personal revelations
On screen, Gough has a long list of credits. She played the villain Dedra Meero in the Star Wars show Andor, a performance that won a Peabody Award in 2023. Television roles include the title role in the drama Paula in 2017, Dr Alison Walden in two episodes of The Fall, and a BAFTA nomination for the 2021 three‑parter Too Close. Other series appearances include Casualty, The Bill, Silent Witness, Holby City, Stella and Apple Tree Yard. Her film work ranges from H Is For Hawk, in which she appeared alongside Claire Foy, to roles in Colette, The Other Lamb, Monday and Martyrs Lane. She is also listed with a yet‑to‑be‑confirmed role in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.
Beyond credits, the coverage of Gough’s life has detailed personal trauma and hardship. She has spoken about being groomed at age 14 by a 21‑year‑old who collected her from school; she did not recognize the encounter as grooming until she later received help. As a teenager she described an "obsession with smoking and boys". Headline summaries of her life note a trajectory "from abuse to homelessness, " and the narrative links early emotional neglect—her mother later acknowledged it was "impossible to provide" emotionally, and that Gough was often brushed aside with the admonition to "stop looking for attention"—to later struggles.
Supporting cast and current stage work
Alongside Gough, The Stolen Girl’s cast includes Bronagh Waugh as DI Shona Sinclair and Michael Workéyè as Kabel Negate, with Ambika Mod and Jim Sturgess among other names attached. Onstage, Gough is currently appearing in London’s West End opposite Billy Cruddup in the play High Noon. Her television credits also extend to series such as Under The Banner Of Heaven, Robin Hood and Who Is Erin Carter? on Netflix.
What makes this notable is how a performer who left school at 15 and emerged from a crowded family home has amassed major theatre awards, a Peabody in 2023, a BAFTA nomination and a broad slate of screen roles that now place her at the center of a widely watched five‑part drama. The trajectory from stage acclaim to leading television roles is both linear and accentuated by personal revelations that have shaped public interest in the parts she chooses to play.
