Fake nurse who appeared in Welsh Labour election broadcast was on BBC Ordinary Lies Rhian Cheyne

The ‘fake nurse’ who pretended to be a NHS worker in a Labour election broadcast only has experience nursing a fellow actress in a BBC drama. 

Rhian Cheyne, 33, appeared in a Welsh Labour TV advert where she pleaded with viewers to vote for the party and warned that the Conservatives want to ‘sell off the NHS to Donald Trump‘. 

But it later emerged she was an actress and Labour was forced to axe the campaign as it broke election broadcast rules. 

Ms Cheyne does not work for the NHS. She is a mother-of-one from Cardiff who also works as a drama teacher. 

She has previous experience of playing a nurse, taking on the role of one in the 2016 BBC drama Ordinary Lies, where she pretended to care for fellow actress Angela Griffin. 

Instead of spending years studying bedpans and bandages, Ms Cheyne trained at the Oxford School of Drama after graduating in English and Drama from Royal Holloway University.  

Her LinkedIn profile reads: ‘Trained at the Oxford School of Drama in the disciplines of dance, singing, applied movement, voice, and Shakespeare – understanding of the language and delivery of Shakespearean verse. Qualification in Professional Acting accredited by Trinity College London.’

The mother-of-one runs her own drama school in Cardiff called Kipepeo and has also taught at the reputable Mark Jermin stage school.      

In the TV advert Ms Cheyne’s character says: ‘We will increase the funding available to our health service. 

‘Labour is the party that created the NHS, and we will defend it against Tory attempts to sell it off for parts to Donald Trump.’ 

Red-faced Welsh Labour bosses had to abandon the broadcast- which aired on BBC, ITV, and S4C on November 12 – after discovering it was fake.

They claimed she had been recruited by the production company employed to make the TV advert.  

Leading Welsh Labour party figures – including first minister Mark Drakeford and Swansea East candidate Carolyn Harris – also appeared in the advert.

A party spokesman said: ‘It has been brought to our attention that a private production company used an actor for our PPB without permission.

‘We have spoken with the company involved, withdrawn the broadcast from future use and we will not be working with the production company in future.’

The election broadcast first went out in September on the BBC, ITV and S4C in Wales. But it was not until it went out again in November that Labour was told the woman was not a nurse in real life.

The rules on election broadcasts say the ‘use of reconstructions or actors in a broadcast must be made clear to the audience’.

Guidelines say actors or reconstructions must be made clear ‘if there is any possibility that the audience could be confused or misled by their appearance.’

A spokesman for Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru said hiring an actress for the advert was ‘shocking’.

The party’s Carmarthen East and Dinefwr candidate, Jonathan Edwards said ‘I can see why Labour felt they had to use a fake nurse in their political advert as their woeful record on the NHS in Wales means they have everything to hide.

‘Issues with the NHS Wales fall squarely at the door of the Labour party who have been running it for decades.

‘Plaid Cymru has a plan to properly invest in the Welsh NHS to recruit 10,000 more doctors and 5,000 more nurses. By the looks of it, Labour couldn’t find one.’

Ms Cheyne has not commented on her role in the now-banned Labour advert.