Holmfirth actor Jessica Gunning scores Emmy award for Baby Reindeer

Holmfirth-born actress Jessica Gunning has made her debut at the Emmy Awards – and taken home her very first trophy.

The Baby Reindeer star won the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and graciously accepted the award with a moving speech.

The Emmy Awards took place last night in Los Angeles and saw stars from all areas of primetime, daytime and international television gather for a night of accolades.

Baby Reindeer, which follows the story of Donny, a young man who falls victim to stalking, found itself sweeping six awards with both the lead and supporting actors winning in their respective fields. 

Jessica Gunning plays Martha, a stalker who makes frequent visits to The Heart, a London pub where the lead character works. Last night however, she found herself making frequent visits to the stage at The Peacock Theatre in LA.

The West-Yorkshire born performer won her sole nomination, beating fellow cast mate Nava Mau or ‘Teri’, a trans therapist who later becomes a love interest of the lead character.

The now Emmy-award winning actress is no stranger to our screens as she has also starred in a few UK cult-classics like, ‘The Life of Riley’, ‘Doctor Who’ and BBC One drama ‘The Outlaws’.

Scottish comedian Richard Gadd plays the role of main character Donny, and also created the series, which is based on his own experiences.

The University of Glasgow alumni managed to win all three categories he was nominated for including Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series. 

Gadd also took home the Writing for a Limited or Anthology series or Movie, for his screen-writing contributions for the miniseries.

The Netflix series, which hit our screens in April this year, bagged itself an overall win for Outstanding Limited or Anthology series category.

In total, the show found itself nominated for an impressive 11 awards, with the final two relating to Outstanding Casting For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie and Outstanding Picture Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. 

The title of the Emmy-winning series is named after Martha’s nickname for Donny, after saying he reminded her of a cute cuddly toy she had growing up, which also happened to be a baby reindeer. 

When accepting her award, Gunning gushed: “I’ve tried so many times to put into words what working on Baby Reindeer meant to me, and I fail every time. So, I’m going to sing… no, imagine!”

She added to Gadd: “Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I’ll never ever forget her or you or this.”

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Featured image: Netflix