Michelle de Swarte

Michelle de Swarte

Date of birth: 23-10-1980

Born in South London, Michelle De Swarte was scouted as a model at 19 while working in Segaworld in the Trocadero Centre at Piccadilly Circus.

She soon moved to New York where she modelled for the likes of Burberry, Missoni, Tommy Hilfiger and Cartier and featured in fashion spreads for Harper's Bazaar, Italian Vanity Fair, i-D and V Magazine.

Her career as a runway model stopped abruptly after she twice fell over on the Gucci runway and she moved back to London, where she turned to stand-up comedy and acting in the mid 2000s.

She was a regular in Katherine Ryan’s Netflix series The Duchess and had her first leading role in Sky/HBO’s The Baby before making her own sitcom Spent in 2024.

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© BBC/Various Artists Limited

Spent is spent

BBC drops Michelle de Swarte comedy

The BBC has dropped ­Michelle de Swarte’s semi-autobiographical  comedy Spent after one series.

Six episodes ran from July last year based on her experiences of returning to London after her successful New York modelling career faltered. 

A spokesperson for the broadcaster confirmed: ‘There are no plans for a second series of Spent.

‘We’d like to thank all the team involved for bringing the show to our screens, and will continue to work with the brilliant Michelle de Swarte on other projects.’

In the series, De Swarte played Mia, who found herself homeless and bankrupt in London, taking humiliating jobs to keep her head above water. It received mixed reviews, ranging from two to four stars.

Spent co-starred Amanda Wilkin, Karl Collins, Juliet Cowan and Peep Show’s Matt King, with comic Jamali Maddix guesting in two episodes as Marc.

A fashion scout spotted De Swarte was spotted while working at Segaworld in London's Trocadero Centre, and she modelled for the  likes of Burberry, Missoni, Tommy Hilfiger and Cartier  in the States. But her career as a runway model stopped abruptly after she twice fell over on the Gucci runway and she moved back to London, where she turned to stand-up  and acting.

She is currently on tour with her stand-up show The Afters, about ‘what to do after the party’.

» Michelle de ​Swarte tour dates.

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Published: 15 Oct 2025

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Agent

We do not currently hold contact details for Michelle de Swarte's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.

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