Bad Girls star worlds away from character in unrecognisable pic years after 00s hit

A BAD Girls star looks worlds away from her no-nonsense character years after the ITV naughties hit.

The hugely-popular prison drama followed the ups and downs of female inmates in London‘s tough HMP Larkhall.

And tasked with keeping the cons of G-wing in line was governor Helen Stewart, played by Simone Lahbib, 58.

The level-headed screw found herself at the centre of a nailbiting storyline after an illicit affair with cop killing con Nikki Wade.

Jail boss Helen was also sexually assaulted by show baddie Jim Fenner, an evil officer who often found himself on the wrong side of the law.

The gritty drama was ahead of its time and tackled a string of other controversial storylines including bullying, rape, suicide and drug misuse.

After a three-year stint on the show, Scots star Simone appeared in a handful of other fan faves including Taggart, Vera and Shetland.

In 2020 she swapped Larkhall for Albert Square and bagged a short run in EastEnders.

Taking on the role of evil child sex abuser Katy Lewis who abused a young Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, 45.

It’s understood the Stirling-born actress married British-Italian actor Raffaello Degruttola in 2003, she gave birth to her daughter two years later.

We previously told how Simone’s Bad Girls co-star, Pauline Campbell, also looks unrecognisable years after appearing on the show.

In the prison drama, Pauline, then in her twenties, played Al McKenzie – a Glaswegian who was the ringleader of a vicious girl gang.