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Patsy Palmer (born Julie Harris on May 26, 1972 in Bethnal Green, London) is an English actress and television personality best-known for playing Bianca Jackson in the popular British television soap opera EastEnders for six years. Having changed her name professionally to avoid a conflict with another actress in Equity, she made her first television appearance, like many other EastEnders actors, on the children's drama show Grange Hill in 1985.

She was brought up along with her two elder brothers, Albert and Harry, by her mother Pat and originally trained at the Anna Scher Theatre School in London (where many other EastEnders stars such as Sid Owen, Gillian Taylforth and Susan Tully also trained). Aged six she starred in a West End production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and by the age of 12 she had written her own play about prostitution and won an award at the London Festival of Plays.

Her notable roles since EastEnders have been as Clare in the detective series McCready and Daughter and an appearance in He knew he was right for the BBC, the television mini-series Do or die, the one-woman musical Tell Me On A Sunday which toured the UK and played in London's West End, the lead role in a UK tour of the musical Steppin' out, the original West end run of Mum's the word and a role in We happy few by Imogen Stubbs which played a short run at the Gielgud Theatre.

Palmer has released a number of hit fitness videos and DVDs, Patsy Palmer - The club workout (2000), Patsy Palmer - The urban workout (2002) and Patsy Palmer's Ibiza workout (2002), in 2006 Palmer made an appearance in The Allstar Workout.

Palmer's first marriage to film-writer and director Nick Love in 1998 lasted only 5 months, and she re-married in August 2000 to taxi driver Richard Merkell, with whom she has had two children, Fenton (born June 2000) and Emilia (born July 2001). She also has another son called Charlie (born 1992) from her previous relationship with boxer Alfie Rothwell.

Palmer's film work includes the shorts Another Green World and Love Story, directed by Nick Love.

She currently lives with her husband and three children in Brighton, East Sussex, England.

In 2005 Patsy took part in BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show, to raise money for the Children in Need fund.

In February 2007, Palmer was a jury member on the BBC programme, The Verdict, where various celebrities ruled on a contemporary and controversial case, based on evidence and examples from real life.

Palmer's autobiography All of Meis released in the UK on 5th April 2007. In it she describes her ascent to fame, her struggle with addiction and how she has battled to overcome her problems.

• Patsy Palmer at the Internet Movie Database