Inside Outlander star Lauren Lyle’s life as she returns as Karen Pirie

Lauren Lyle is returning to screens as Karen Pirie for a second season of the ITV detective series.

The actress, 32, is best known for her role as Marsali MacKimmie Fraser in Outlander, alongside the likes of Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan.

She’s also played Jade Antoniak in BBC drama Vigil and held roles in Netflix’s Toxic Town and The Bombing on Pan Am 103.

On stage, Lauren has starred in productions of The Crucible, Wuthering Heights, Consensual and Merchant of Venice.

She first rose to fame on the West End after moving to London at the age of 19, followed by her first TV appearance on BBC Three’s BBC Comedy Feeds, in an episode entitled Radges.

She went on to make an appearance in Holby City, and then starred opposite Sean Bean in BBC drama Broken.

Her biggest role came in 2017 in Outlander, and the following year Lauren starred in the film adaptation of Fiona Shaw’s novel Tell It to the Bees alongside Anna Paquin and Holliday Grainger.

Lauren has also hosted a podcast, She’s A Rec, where she chats to guests about their recommendations on albums, films, books and female heroes that have influenced their lives.

For her role as fearless, young Scottish detective Karen Pirie, Lauren was awarded Best Actress - Television and Favourite Scot on Screen at the 2023 Bafta Awards Scotland.

Lauren previously spoke to The Sunday Post about finding fame, having moved to London to share a house with four strangers and taking several odd jobs while she tried to gain her big break.

She said: “I came to London to audition for drama schools and came close but didn’t get in. I think I’d only been to London once before as a kid but didn’t remember it.

“I was so hungry for it, and being around other actors in this world was so thrilling and I knew this was what I wanted to do and the place to do it.”

Saying she had always had “deluded confidence” and a competitive streak in her, Lauren revealed she’d been working in various jobs like a dog walker, flyering, receptionist, and in Zara’s stock room for months, before her life changed with Outlander and Broken - two major roles that came within weeks of each other.

“It was bleak at times but I loved going to the theatre and seeing this life dangled in front of me. It was quite inspiring.”

Off-screen, Lauren keeps a low profile with her social media profiles boasting her career and travels.

She did however confirm her relationship in the 2023 interview with The Sunday Post, saying her boyfriend was there to celebrate the Baftas with her.

She said: “My parents are coming – my dad has a new velvet jacket to go with his tartan troos – as is my boyfriend, who is South-African-Australian, but we’ve recently discovered he has lots of Scottish heritage, so he might wear a kilt.”

Karen Pirie season 2 will air on Sunday, July 20, with the first episode premiering at 8pm on ITV1.