Her father was a foreign reporter for a Danish television channel, and she spent most of her youth abroad. She studied law and anthropology at Girton College, Cambridge, but ended up getting into drama. She wrote and performed in the first all-woman show at the Cambridge Footlights, and moved via children's television into the comedy circuit.

She has appeared in television shows such asCall My Bluff, and Whose Line Is It Anyway, and radio shows sich asI'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue and The News Quiz. She is co-mother of three children with her ex-partner, Peta.