Alison O’Donnell shot to fame back in 2013 with her breakout role in the BBC’s hit crime drama, Shetland. The Scottish actress portrays dedicated detective, Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh, in the show and has been a fan-favourite since making her debut back in series one alongside then-star Douglas Henshall.
Alison leads the cast alongside Ashley Jensen, who plays DI Ruth Calder in the series, which returned to BBC One earlier this month. With nine seasons down, fans know all about Tosh’s private life on the titular Scottish Islands – but what about her off-screen counterpart? Find out all about Alison’s family life here…
Alison’s early life and career
Alison, who hails from Motherwell, Scotland and is the youngest of three sisters, began her acting career in the theatre before landing small parts in TV shows such as Feel the Force and Holby City.
© BBCBefore then, she enrolled at university to study International Law but dropped out after three months to pursue her dreams of becoming an actor.
Alison’s big break came in 2013 when she landed her first major acting role in Shetland. She’s worked on the show ever since, while also appearing in the 2019 horror film, Pet Sematary, and the BBC Radio 4 play Synonymous, penned by her partner, DC Jackson.
Alison’s famous partner
Alison is in a longtime relationship with Scottish playwright DC Jackson. The couple met when Alison starred in DC’s 2011 play My Romantic History, which won the Scotsman Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival.
Sharing an insight into her loving relationship with DC, Alison told The Scotsman: “He sort of loves me in a way I didn’t know was possible. His love for me is very, very selfless and undemanding. He doesn’t ask anything of me, he just loves me for who I am.”
© Robbie Jack/Corbis via Getty ImagesThe actress reflected on a memorable moment from when they first got together. “I remember looking at his face and saw something I hadn’t really seen ever before, and it was that he found me… delightful. I went ‘Oh! I’m not doing anything, not trying to be anything, I’m just being me’ and this guy was reflecting something back at me so lovely, that all my walls came down,” explained the actress, who said she started to get “more interesting roles” after she met DC.
“I’m not saying he’s the power behind me,” she said, adding: “But our relationship made a difference.“
Alison and DC’s family life
Alison and DC became parents for the first time in late 2017 with the arrival of their first daughter, whose name isn’t publicly known.
Sharing her delight over becoming a mum, Alison told The Scotsman in 2018: “I have never, ever been this happy. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy. And I’m not somebody who’s always had this ambition to be a mother, but I knew I wanted to give it a wee go, so I’ve surprised myself by how much I love it.”
© Ken McKay/ITV/ShutterstockThe couple went on to welcome a son in 2020. Alison previously admitted that having a newborn and toddler during lockdown was “the darkest and most difficult thing I’ve ever lived through“.
“Anybody who’s had a young baby knows that one of the main things that gets you through it is people popping by,” she told The Sunday Post. “Someone will nip in and make you a cup of tea or clean your toilet.
“I felt totally alone, we were completely on our own with nothing to break up the days,” she continued, adding that she was relieved when the restrictions lifted and she could return to work. “Getting back to work? I was so glad,” she said.
