Aleesha Dillon
Played by
Lauren Thomas
Aleesha is a very bright student with a quick wit and a cruel sense of humour. She’s also a good actress and has a great singing voice – which she’s far from shy about using.
She and best mate, Danielle, form an intimidating clique. They dress similarly - customising their uniforms as much as they can get away with – have their own catchphrases, and feel superior to most of the other pupils. Most of their laughs come from a delight in others’ faults or misfortunes and though they don’t see themselves as school bullies (having no interest in violence or acquisition of lunch money), they’re just as capable of making their peers’ lives a misery. When Karla Bentham arrived at the school she was a prime target for their piss taking and wind ups, but they went on to form the unlikeliest of friendships and now anyone who messes with Karla has to go through Aleesha and Danielle first.
Aleesha’s mum left college when she met her (now ex) husband – and has always regretted not finishing her education. Since the divorce five years ago, she has returned to work, getting a job as a bank clerk. She has high aspirations for her daughter – a university education and a well paid career – and this made her the ideal candidate to be poached from her previous school to move to Waterloo Road under previous Head, Jack Rimmer’s bursary scheme. John Foster’s was the school Aleesha and Danielle would have gone to, had they not been seconded to Waterloo Road, so they feel much less fish out of water than the other girls do from the merger…good job really, as it allows them to keep the minxy, slightly superior air that they are known and loved for.