Whilst attending Highgate Wood School Arts College Johnson was spotted by an agent in a production of Guys and Dolls, in which she played the lead. She subsequently appeared in numerous stage productions, including a six-month run in a National Theatre production of Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood directed by Roger Michell. Her first television role, in 2003, was as Vicki Fowler on the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She spent nearly two years and 194 episodes in the show; and, for her portrayal of Vicky Fowler, she was voted no. 83 in "The 100 Greatest EastEnder's Characters Of All Time". She left EastEnders at the end of 2004 to return to stage acting and to embark on a career in films. In 2005, she played Juliet in an open air run of Romeo and Juliet at Stafford Castle and received favourable notices including in The Stage. In the same year she also appeared as the lead in the acclaimed UK tour of Henry James' Daisy Miller directed by Christopher Morahan and in the pantomime Cinderella at Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre. In 2009 she played Mindy in a revival of Aunt Dan and Lemon at the Royal Court Theatre, receiving positive notices in the Evening Standard, The Guardian, The Times etc. In the same year she played the role of Helen in the horror filmThe Reeds. In April 2010, Johnson was cast by Warner Bros. in the CW network's US TV pilot Damn Thorpes opposite co-star Sean Faris. In the same year she also played the lead role in the UK film Panic Button and in the Channel 4 comedy Pete Versus Life as Trish, the girlfriend of Pete's friend Ollie. In February–March 2010 she appeared in the play Slaves for the Olivier award-winning Theatre503, London. She joined the cast of E4's Beaver Falls for its second series, playing the role of PJ. The second series began airing in early August 2012 with the final episode of the series airing in early September 2012. It was announced on 22 September 2012 that the drama would not be recommissioned. She played the role of Laura Derbyshire, a pregnant teenager and subsequently a new mother, in the BBC Three comedy Pramface, alongside her Beaver Falls co-star Emer Kenny. The first series piloted in late February 2012 and was well received by critics. She reprised her role for the second series which began airing in the new year of 2013 and was broadcast for a second time on BBC One throughout the summer of 2013. She reprised her role again for a third and final series which started airing in late February 2014.
Personal life
Johnson married her Pramface and Radiant Vermin co-star Sean Michael Verey on 9 July 2017. They have 2 children and work together at the Pauline Quirke Academy.
