Susie Amy was born in London in 1981 and brought up in Surrey Although she always studied drama she went to academic schools all her life An agent spotted her in 1999 when she was doing a play at the National Theatre in London After Juliet by Sharman McDonald Over the next two years she got parts in Sirens 2002 the sitcom Sams Game The Swap and My Family In 2001 at the age of 20 she got her first big break when she was chosen to play Chardonnay Lane in ITV drama Footballers Wives 2002 which became one of the most talked about shows on TV In 2002 after filming a second series of Footballers Wives she was chosen for the lead role of Valentine DArtagnan in the Hallmark Production La Femme Musketeer 2004 starring alongside Michael York Gérard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski For the role she had to train in martial arts fencing and horse riding which she is said to have loved