Lucy Ann Cohu, an English stage, film, and television actress, was born on 2 October 1968 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. She attended Stamford High School, a boarding school in Lincolnshire, during her childhood.

Cohu trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where she also met her future husband, actor Corey Johnson. Her first acting job after drama school was in a production of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. She made her television debut in an episode of Casualty and went on to work extensively in British television, including roles in Soldier Soldier and other series.