BBC Death in Paradise star 'dumbstruck' after bumping into Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Death in Paradise star Shantol Jackson has opened up about her unexpected encounter with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
Death in Paradise star Shantol Jackson was left speechless after an unexpected meeting with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The surprise encounter happened at the premiere of the Bob Marley movie One Love in Kingston, Jamaica.
“Meghan and Harry just casually walked past me,” she told Hello!. “I’m sure only the government officials knew they were coming. They were very sweet and very excited."
She continued: “I was dumbstruck because I wasn't expecting it. I’m like: ‘This never happens.’ They enjoyed being there and it didn’t feel as though you couldn’t access them.
"Of course there were bodyguards, but if people said hello, they said: ‘Oh, hi.’
"It wasn’t like: ‘Oh, don’t speak to me.’” Shantol has been a part of the BBC series since 2022 and is loved by fans.
However, getting the role of smart police officer Naomi Thomas on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe wasn't easy.
After first being turned down for the part, Shantol's hard work paid off when she was offered the role years later.
Her audition process, including a memorable Zoom session disrupted by nearby construction work, shows her determination.
The actress is over the moon and so is her dad, who always cheered her on. She told The One Show about how they used to watch Death in Paradise together back home in Jamaica.
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She said: "One of our local TV stations in Jamaica aired the first season of Death in Paradise.
"That was with Ben Miller, so my dad and I used to watch it all the time when I was growing up."
"When I landed the role it was just very surreal.
"My dad kept asking me who is still in the show from when we used to watch the show and how is it going, and what's it like working with these people that we used to watch many years ago."