Jessica-Jane Clement was born on 24 February 1985 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to Jane and Richard Clement. Now known professionally by her married name Jessica-Jane Stafford, she is an English actress, television presenter and former glamour model best known for her role in the BBC series The Real Hustle, which ran from 2006 to 2012. She appeared in every one of the programme’s 106 episodes across eleven series — a record of consistent involvement that made her a genuine fixture in British television.

Her career began in modelling before pivoting to television and film work. She has since appeared in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, the horror film Devil’s Tower, and a string of independent films. She is married to celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford, with whom she has four children. A committed animal rights advocate and an ambassador for Phonak hearing devices following a significant hearing loss in her right ear at the age of 20, she remains a distinctly Sheffield-rooted public figure.

Jessica-Jane Clement – Quick Facts

Sheffield Roots and Early Education

Jessica-Jane Clement was raised in Sheffield, attending High Storrs School — a comprehensive school in the south-west of the city. Her early interest in performance led her to study Performing Arts and Psychology at The Sheffield College, giving her a dual grounding that would prove useful in her later career as both an actress and a presenter comfortable working across structured scripts and spontaneous situations.

She then studied at Dartington College of Arts in Devon, a specialist performing arts institution known for its experimental approach to theatre and interdisciplinary arts. Her training continued at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York — one of the world’s most respected acting schools, associated with the method acting tradition. That combination of Sheffield comprehensive schooling, specialist performing arts college and New York method training is an unusual path, and it speaks to Clement’s early ambition and willingness to chase her craft seriously.

Modelling Career

Clement began her professional career as a glamour model. She became a Page Three model and, at the age of 18, appeared in Playboy. Her modelling portfolio included work with photographers Byron Newman, Rankin — one of Britain’s most celebrated portrait photographers — and the late Bob Carlos Clarke, whose work she featured in as his ‘Living Doll’ in the exhibition Love Dolls Never Die. She also appeared in several music videos, including work for Craig David and Uniting Nations, and featured in lads’ magazines that grew in demand following her television visibility.

The modelling career provided both a platform and, eventually, an entry point into television. Her looks and media experience made her a natural choice for the kind of presenting and performance role that The Real Hustle would require.

Dream Team and Early Acting Work

Before The Real Hustle, Clement had already appeared in television drama. She played Cindi Marshall in Sky TV’s Dream Team — the long-running football drama — across two series from 2005 to 2007. The role gave her valuable experience on a continuing television production and demonstrated that she could handle a recurring dramatic part alongside her modelling career.

Her early film work included Moussaka & Chips (2005), in which she played the Jade Dragon escort. These were not headline roles, but they established her as a working actress rather than a model who occasionally appeared on screen — a distinction that mattered as her profile grew.

The Real Hustle: 106 Episodes, Eleven Series

In 2006, Clement joined the cast of The Real Hustle as one of its three regular presenters, alongside Alex Conran and Paul Wilson. The show was a BBC Three production that demonstrated real-world con tricks, scams, proposition bets and distraction techniques to viewers — with the stated aim of helping the public avoid being fooled. The format was part consumer education, part entertainment, and it worked. The Real Hustle ran for eleven series across six years.

Clement appeared in all 106 episodes — every single one across the show’s entire run. She also starred in all the one-off specials: The 12 Scams of Christmas, Winter Special, World’s Greatest Bar Bets, Best Ever Cons, Don’t Miss a Trick, and The Real Hustle Around the World. Her role involved performing cons and demonstrations directly on members of the public, requiring confidence, composure under pressure, and an ability to maintain a convincing performance in spontaneous situations. It was exactly the kind of work her unusual training had prepared her for.

The show made Clement a genuinely recognisable face in British television, and the breadth of her involvement — 106 episodes rather than a cameo or a single series — gave her a solidity in the public consciousness that many actors with longer CVs never achieve.

I’m a Celebrity and Other Television Work

In 2011, at the height of The Real Hustle’s run, Clement took part in Series 11 of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! on ITV. She also hosted the BBC Three documentary series Skin Deep: The Business of Beauty (2011) and The Body Shocking Show (2013), both of which drew on her background in the modelling and beauty industries.

She appeared in the British zombie comedy film Doghouse in 2009, playing the lead character’s girlfriend, and had a guest role in the long-running medical drama Casualty the same year. In November 2008, she took part in the BBC Three charity event Celebrity Scissorhands in aid of Children in Need — the same show on which she met Lee Stafford.

Film Career

Hearing Loss and Phonak Partnership

When Clement was 20 years old, she suddenly lost hearing in her right ear. The cause was not publicly specified in detail, but the loss was significant and immediate. In 2012, she was fitted with a Phonak Lyric hearing device — a tiny, extended-wear hearing aid designed to sit invisibly deep in the ear canal. She has since become an ambassador for Phonak, using her platform to raise awareness of hearing loss and to support others who experience it.

Her willingness to speak publicly about the condition has been noted by hearing loss charities and advocacy groups. In an industry where physical presentation is often treated as everything, Clement’s openness about her hearing loss ran against the grain and arguably made her a more effective advocate because of it.

Marriage, Family and Animal Rights

Clement met Lee Stafford on the set of Celebrity Scissorhands in 2008. Stafford is one of Britain’s best-known celebrity hairdressers, who has built a significant brand through his salons and hair care product range. The two married on 17 February 2013 and have four children together: Angel (born June 2014), Elvis Annie-Jane (born January 2016), Sugar May (born April 2017), and Valentine Love (born February 2020). The names reflect the couple’s creative and unconventional streak, and Clement has regularly shared family life on social media.

Alongside her professional work, she is a strong animal rights advocate. She has worked with PETA and spoken out publicly against the testing of cosmetics on animals. The commitment appears to be genuinely held rather than performative — Clement has continued to campaign on the issue across years rather than in association with any single project.

Sheffield’s Television Personality

Jessica-Jane Clement represents a particular kind of Sheffield success story — one built on determination, unusual training, and a willingness to take on work across modelling, drama, presenting and film without settling into one lane. The Real Hustle gave her longevity that most television presenting careers never achieve, and she built on that platform without losing the Sheffield directness that had shaped her in the first place.

Sheffield has a strong tradition of producing performers who take their talent to national audiences while keeping their feet planted firmly in the city’s culture. The Crucible Theatre, which you can read about in our guide to things to do in Sheffield, has been a launch pad for many local careers — a reminder that the infrastructure for great performance has always existed here.