Molly Rainford is known for playing Anna Knight in EastEnders – but she’s not the only famous member of her family, as fans have just found out

EastEnders star Molly Rainford isn’t the only famous person in her family(Image: WireImage)

This EastEnders star has a very famous dad – but fans are only just realising it after it was pointed out on social media.

Molly Rainford is known for playing Anna Knight, the daughter of George Knight and Cindy Beale in the long-running BBC soap. She first appeared in Albert Square in June 2023, so is coming up to her second anniversary on the show.

Viewers will also know the 24-year-old for appearing on Strictly Come Dancing in 2022, when she was partnered with pro dancer Carlos Gu. She reached the finals, but lost out to CBeebies star Hamza Yassin and Jowita Przystal, who went home with the glitterball that year.

She is now dating her Strictly co-star, KISS DJ Tyler West, after romance blossomed on the show. The pair took their relationship to the next level in January 2024 when they revealed they’d moved in together.

But actor and singer Molly – who first shot to fame with her performance of Ave Maria after reaching the Britain’s Got Talent finals in 2012 at the age of just 11 – isn’t the only famous member of her family.

Molly’s dad is former footballer Dave Rainford (left) who now works for the Premier League(Image: Getty Images)

Her dad is former footballer Dave Rainford. The 46-year-old started at Colchester United as a teenager before going on to play for Slough Town, Heybridge Swift, Bishop’s Stortford and AFC Hornchurch.

The midfielder joined Chelmsford City 2008 before becoming their assistant manager in 2012. After retiring from football in 2014, Dave now works in a top job for the Premier League, as as Head of Education & Academy Player Care.

After discovering the identity of Molly’s dad, EastEnders fans took to Reddit to debate whether she was a ‘nepo baby’ or not, as some insisted her success was down to her dad’s career.

This is despite him being in a totally different industry – as some fans were quick to point out – and Molly impressing Britain’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell so much when she appeared on the ITV show, she was awarded their first ever drama school scholarship to the Sylvia Young Theatre School. This led to her landing roles on CBBC presenting Friday Download and starring in sci-fi series Nova Jones.

One fan wrote: “That’s a lot of nepotism”. But another rushed to her defence and wrote: “None of it is nepotism – it isn’t family connections that have helped her out she was just lucky enough to have been given a massive opportunity at a young age.”

A third argued her dad’s football connections wouldn’t have opened any doors to her in music or TV. They commented: “I don’t see how she’s a nepo baby when neither of her parents have any connection to TV or film.”

While Molly has previously credited a famous star she says “changed my life”, she was referring to music mogul Simon Cowell rather than her dad Dave. She previously said: “I did Britain’s Got Talent in 2012 when I was 11 years old.

“That definitely changed my life because after getting to the finals, I was sponsored by Sony Music and Simon Cowell to go to the Sylvia Young theatre school. From those auditions throughout school, I got into the CBBC world.”

The famous theatre school in London is credited for kickstarting the careers of music greats like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Rita Ora and Dua Lipa. Singer and actor Billie Piper also went there, as did Spice Girl Emma Bunton, All Saints singers Mel Blatt and Nicole Appleton, Busted’s Matt Willis, McFly’s Tom Fletcher and fellow EastEnders’ stars Kara Tointon, Letitia Dean and Samantha Womack.