Claire Sweeney was born on April 17, 1971 in Walton, Liverpool. She is an English actress, singer, television personality and presenter. She came from a small family and was brought up in Walton, Liverpool by her mother Kathleen, and butcher father Ken along with her brother Shaun. Claire found school work a little difficult, particularly Math, but did well in singing and acting. Her first job was a butcher’s assistant in her fathers shop.

Claire Sweeney got her training from the Elliott-Clarke Drama School in Liverpool, before winning a place in London's famous Italia Conti stage school in London when she was 18. In 1987, she has been a member of the Southport Summer Youth Theatre Workshop's production called Hair. After this, she auditioned for a part in the Southport Arts Centre's Centre Stage Company production of Chicago. But Claire was turned down because she was considered too young. She later went on to star in a West End version of the same show.

Claire Sweeney always wanted to be a singer and after a period of time, she landed a brief appearance in Brookside as Lindsey in 1991. After that, she joined a cruise ship and worked as a singer for four years. After this stint, Claire has decided to go home and go back to acting. In 1995, she started to appear again in Brookside.

Claire Sweeney appeared in Celebrity Big Brother in 2001 where she met Anthea Turner who became her close friend. Her appearance on the show brought her to greater fame in Great Britain. She played the role Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in London and in 2002; she released the album Claire, which is a mixture of original and well-known songs. She won an award from Rear of the Year in 2001.

In 2002, Claire Sweeney hosted BBC TV's A Song for Europe, A singing contest in Europe. She played the lead in the world tour of Fosse in 2003. She has also presented a number of shows, such as Challenge of a Lifetime, 60 Minute Makeover. In 2004 she participated in Series One of the BBC One pro-celebrity ballroom dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing. She has recently been seen as host of the television series Chef vs Britain.

In 2005, the fitness DVD Claire Sweeney-The perfect fit was released. On July 10, 2006, she took over the role of Miss Adelaide from Sally Ann Triplett for the UK production Guys & Dolls which was held on an 8-week run at the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End. Claire starred opposite legend Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing. She has also been the holder of the title, The Forces Sweetheart.