Claire Elizabeth Cooper (born 26 October 1980) is a British actress and former gymnast from Wakefield, England, best known for portraying Jacqui McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, a character she played full time from 2006 to 2013 and returned to for one episode in 2023.
In 2010, Cooper opened a clothing rental boutique called The Closet in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Jennifer Metcalfe and Leah Hackett.
Since 2024, Cooper has played the lead role of Mary Hardacre in the Channel 5 period drama The Hardacres.
Cooper was a British champion gymnast for 10 years.
Cooper attended the Guildford School of Acting.
Cooper has appeared in various British television shows, including a two-part episode on Waking the Dead in 2004. She has also made appearances on Coronation Street and Waterloo Road.
Cooper made her on-screen debut as Jacqui McQueen in Hollyoaks in September 2006. She played the character for several years, including in spin-offs Hollyoaks Later in 2009 and Hollyoaks: King of Hearts in 2010. She departed from the cast in 2013, but made a cameo appearance in an episode in 2023.
In 2016, Cooper played the part of Claire in the second series of In the Club. Cooper co-owns clothing rental boutique The Closet in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Jennifer Metcalfe and Leah Hackett.
Cooper married Hollyoaks co-star Emmett J. Scanlan in 2015. On 8 May 2020, she announced she was pregnant with their first child. On 18 July, she gave birth to a boy named Ocean. On 12 November 2022, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter named Fiáin.
Cooper won Best Actress at British Soap Awards in 2013 and Best Family at Inside Soap Awards in 2009. She has also received several nominations: