Elizabeth Estensen

Estensen was born on 10 August 1949 and had a Norwegian grandfather, from whom she inherited her surname. She grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham. Her mother was a primary school teacher, and her father was a merchant seaman and solicitor's clerk. Estensen considered becoming a speech therapist, but signed up for a Drama and English teaching course at Manchester Polytechnic instead. Estensen has been married to husband Philip Allen since May 1983, and the pair have a son together, James Otto Allen.

Following graduation from Manchester Polytechnic, she moved to Liverpool and joined the Everyman repertory company. While appearing in a production of John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert, she was noticed by actress Nerys Hughes, who was looking for a replacement for Polly James in her sitcom, The Liver Birds. Estensen was cast as Carol Boswell, her debut television role, in 1975. After The Liver Birds concluded in 1979, Estensen made appearances in films and series including T-Bag and Far from the Madding Crowd. Between 1996 and 1998, she appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Pam Middleton. Then in 1999, she was cast in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale as series regular Diane Sugden, a role she has played since. In 2007, she won a shared award at the British Soap Awards for Spectacular Scene of the Year, which saw a house collapse that her character was involved in. In September 2021, Estensen confirmed that she had filmed her final scenes as Diane in Emmerdale. Her final episode was broadcast on 29 October. However, Estensen agreed to return to the soap in October 2022 for a guest stint, for the show's 50th anniversary.