CBBC legend joins TikTok and people think she still looks like iconic character

People scrolling TikTok today were left gobsmacked after a familiar face popped up on their For You pages. , best known for playing Tracy Beaker in the CBBC series The Story of , delighted fans by uploading her first ever video to the online platform.

Drinking a cup of coffee, with her hair swept back in a ponytail, the 36-year-old actress said: "Hello! Here I am. This is my first , isn't it? So, I thought I'd start as I mean to go on. No makeup, cup of coffee, zero expectations. Just wanted to say hi, really. How are you all doing?"

Dani, who already has over 9,000 followers just hours after joining the app, starred as the iconic character from 2002 until 2006. The actress, who comes from Bracknell, Berkshire, also appeared on Tracy Beaker Returns from 2-1- to 2012 and The Dumping Ground, which started in 2018 and aired its 13 season in 2025.

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Dani, who is now a mum-of-two, played the lead role of Tracy Beaker, who lives in a Children's Home known as the Dumping Ground but dreams of having a family and living in a home someday. The fiery character, who often lands herself in trouble, is based on the children's book series by Jacqueline Wilson.

Over on TikTok, fans of the actress were overjoyed to see her - and thought she still looked exactly like the much-loved TV character.

"Is this THE Tracy Beaker?" asked one gobsmacked fan. "Tracy flippin Beaker on my Monday morning TikTok scroll? I love life," wrote another.

A fourth fan wrote: "Omg, this is what we all needed! Iconic moment in British TikTok," and Tony's Chocolonely's official account actually joined in, writing: "Love to see it - legend."

Others were gobsmacked at how similar she looks. One person wrote: "You literally look the same Tracey, a queen, an icon," while another wrote: "I honestly thought you were being Tracey Beaker." "HOW do you look exactly the same as 20 years ago," said another.

Talking to about being Tracy Beaker, Dani said: "Oh, it's a gift for sure! And it's a badge I wear with pride. It's one of the reasons I'll always go back if I'm asked.

"When I go back and look around, I do think 'Gosh, this all started when I was 12.' If someone had told me then about the legacy that the show would have, I wouldn't have believed them."

According to Dani, she doesn't feel like she missed out on a 'normal' childhood because of the CBBC series. She explained: "I'm incredibly boring! I never really did the whole drugs-and-alcohol thing. I don't really drink or do anything newsworthy.

"I totally get why people spiral out of control because being a child actor is really, really hard. You're in the limelight and people will give you anything you want and then suddenly, if you stop working, it's all gone."

Dani said she always had "incredible family and friends" to keep her grounded, and thanks to Tracy Beaker she's "always worked". She added: "Hopefully I'll be able to play her when I'm in my 80s. Who doesn't want to see Grandma Tracy Beaker?"