In 2015, Paisley Billings burst onto our screens as the bubbly and instantly lovable receptionist for the iconic show Tattoo Fixers. Along with artist Sketch, Paisley was the only cast member who stayed for the show’s entire run with a ‘bittersweet’ farewell after six seasons. Metro caught up with the 31-year-old star as she steps away from the screen — for now — to shine in London’s theatre district instead.

‘I feel like if I’m on a stage, I’m living the dream,’ she revealed of her recent turns in both Six and the new Percy Jackson musical, The Lightning Thief. Fans of the E4 show might be slightly startled to see her belting out some serious tunes on stage as many thought she actually was a receptionist. ‘I feel like it wasn’t really known that I was always an actor,’ she laughed and added: ‘While I was [on the show] I wasn’t acting at all.

‘I think that’s what may have caused a little bit of confusion. I was a receptionist on TV, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about “receptioning”.’. Her job was to get the clients to open up, so the best way to do that was simply by being herself, which further conflated this on-screen version with real-life Paisley. While the show meant she was ‘entertaining people in some way’ there was a part of her that yearned to portray a character for a live audience, that TV couldn’t fulfil.

‘I think [Tattoo Fixers ending] was bittersweet,’ she shared. ‘I’d been doing it for such a long time and I really missed performing but it was also really, really sad to leave it behind. ‘Obviously, Sketch and I being in it from the very beginning, we were pretty much like family by the end of it. So that was difficult, saying goodbye to the people, but I think it came at a time where I was ready for something new.’.

Paisley reassured us that she is still in touch with tattoo artist Sketch as well as Pash and Uzzi Canby who joined in season five. Talk about making a statement… 💍 #TattooFixers #Tattoo #TattooCoverUp. While she may have round her fame on TV, theatre was her ‘first love’ with Paisley even appearing as young Nala in The Lion King when she was around 10 years old. In The Lightning Thief, currently on in London’s The Other Palace, the Celebs Go Dating star plays not one but seven different characters.

‘It was quite daunting,’ she revealed. ‘I can’t lie, with all the changes and everything that has to be done backstage, my backstage choreography is nearly as complicated as the on-stage choreography.’. Paisley is billed as Sally Jackson but in reality plays almost every monster the demigods come across from Medusa to Charon, the gatekeeper to the underworld. This is not your usual black-robed ominous ferryman though, funnily enough, she is once again a kind of receptionist — albeit a disco-dancing undead receptionist.

‘That number of the show, DOA, is just, oh, it’s so much fun,’ the star said. ‘Where the whole cast are on stage and we all get to party. It’s the highlight of my show.’. Despite the franchise spanning two movies, multiple huge book series, and a TV show, Paisley went into the world of the Greek gods completely blind and is now wondering how on earth she ‘missed out’ for so long. After Tattoo Fixers ended (and lockdown lifted), returning to the world of theatre felt natural and she landed a part in Six — a girl band-style musical about the wives of Henry VIII.

She continued: ‘As a kid, I’d always wanted to be a girl band so I felt like I got to live two childhood dreams at once. It was such a beautiful experience, the whole of the cast, it was a sisterhood.’. My last time seeing Paisley Aragon – one of my favourite tracks of the current West End cast. A true Paragon of royalty (iykyk 😉), I’m gonna miss Pais! 👑 #sixthemusical #megasix #westend.

The show has inspired a dedicated fanbase, known as the Queendom, who Paisley calls ‘incredible’ and reminds her a lot of the Percy Jackson fans, aka Demigods. ‘You expect applause at the end of a number but when it comes in waves and waves,’ she recalled. ‘I am floored by how much love is shown by the audience.’. The enthusiasm and sheer love Paisley has for being on stage really is palpable but she hasn’t said goodbye to TV completely.

‘If there’s a world in which there could be a musical comedy, or talk show vibes that would be quite fun,’ she teased. ‘Maybe a documentary here and there.’. The Lightning Thief’s run at The Other Palace has been extended until August and Paisley will be staying with the production ‘giving us a bit of DOA’ for the foreseeable future. She concluded: ‘I do really enjoy performing. I feel like there’s an element of seeing someone in their light and I don’t mean a spotlight, I mean shining from within because they’re truly happy with what it is that they’re doing and they feel fulfilled.