Ilona Verdon-Roe grew up in the mountains of Portugal, playing tennis and putting on plays with her sisters. She moved to England and played tennis at a competitive level, but found greater fulfilment in acting. She studied at LAMDA on their Classical Semester and at Identity School of Acting, whilst also participating in some London stage work. Most notably, Kindertransport (Putney Arts Theatre), where she connected with the families of survivors and felt the power of theatre in action. Driven to continue developing her craft, she joined OSD’s Three Year Course. Offstage, she remains passionate about sports, she’s a part-time tennis coach and loves playing football (she does have Portuguese heritage after all).