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Who is Jenny Ryan? The X Factor: Celebrity finalist and The Chase’s The Vixen

JENNY Ryan has secured a spot in The X Factor: Celebrity final, despite previously getting the boot from judges during the LA auditions.

She is best known for her role as The Vixen on ITV’s The Chase, but what else do we know about Jenny? Here’s the lowdown...

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Who is Jenny Ryan?

Jenny Alexis Ryan is a British quizzer, who gained national recognition as one of the five chasers on the popular ITV game show The Chase.

Jenny, who was born on April 2, 1982, is no stranger when it comes to making appearances on quiz shows, having also worked on The Weakest Link and Fifteen to One.

The redhead from Bolton also starred in University Challenge in a bid to help the University of Leeds reach the semi-finals in 2003.

Her big break, however, came in 2009, after being approached to write questions for the pilot episode of The Chase.

She didn’t join the show until 2015, when she made her debut appearance on September 2 - and it was all thanks to fellow chaser Anne Hegerty, who recommended producers to hire her to be on the show.

Jenny is better known as The Vixen, which is in reference to her red hair and the former ponytail she sported; and apparently producers like the name since “vixens are notoriously clever and cunning.”

Others have also referred to the 37-year-old as The Bolton Brainiac, given that she has proven to contestants that she’s not easy to beat.

On July 11, 2019, it was announced that Jenny was set to star on the 14th series of Celebrity Masterchef.

And on September 25, it was revealed that she'll be taking part in the forthcoming run of The X Factor: Celebrity, which kicks off in October on ITV.

 Jenny is no stranger when it comes to singing in public
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Jenny is no stranger when it comes to singing in publicCredit: Getty - Contributor

Does Jenny Ryan have any singing experience?

While it's unclear on whether Jenny Ryan has any professional singing experience, a video of the TV star singing Delilah with the Nanukes of the North in 2016.

The clip was uploaded to YouTube and has attracted over 20,000 intrigued fans, as Jenny flawlessly powers through the song, which she performed at the Fountain pub in Hawes.

If you haven't seen the video, !

 Jenny Ryan is one of the stars on BBC One's Celebrity Masterchef
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Jenny Ryan is one of the stars on BBC One's Celebrity MasterchefCredit: WARNING: Use of this image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' Digital Picture

When is she on Celebrity Masterchef?

Jenny is one of the contestants on the 14th series of Celebrity Masterchef.

The series commenced on September 2, with a bunch of celebrities showing off their cooking skills in the hopes of winning the grand prize by the end of the season.

Jenny joins the likes of Judge Jules, Joey Essex and Oti Mabuse in the cooking competition, but will she be able to impress us just as much as she has on The Chase?

If you happen to miss any of the episodes, you can catch them again on BBC iPlayer.

The show continues tonight with its third episode on BBC One and 9pm.

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