Scottish actress bags star role for Burberry

Sophie Kennedy Clark, the 20-year-old daughter of singer Fiona Kennedy and granddaughter of Gaelic singer Calum Kennedy, has been chosen for one of the most coveted roles in the world of fashion - spearheading the spring campaign by the prestigious fashion house.

Stunning pictures of the Aberdeen-born actress - taken by Mario Testino, the photographer responsible for the first engagement pictures of Prince William and Kate Middleton - feature on huge posters at Burberry stores from London to Shanghai. And Sophie also appears in the latest edition of Vogue magazine.

She is the youngest of three children of Fiona Kennedy, the former Record Breakers presenter and her husband Francis Clark, a wealthy Aberdeen businessman. The couple's eldest daughter Hannah, 24, is pursuing a career in the world of finance, while her brother Francis Jun, 23, is studying business and economics at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

The actress, who recently won rave reviews for her appearance in the play Eight Women at the Southwark Playhouse Theatre in London, was picked to pair up with actor Matthew Beard for Burberry's April Showers spring campaign after the Burberry marketing team spotted her pictures on the books of the Storm model agency, which also handles supermodel Kate Moss.

Storm recruited Sophie after the agency saw her trying on a white vintage wedding dress in London's Portobello Market for a Scottish ball in London.

Sophie, who was educated at Fettes and Gordonstoun before studying acting at the New York Film School, said: "You can't really believe it. You always think these sorts of things go to cool young London kids."

Her proud mum Fiona said yesterday: "We are absolutely over the moon for Sophie. We had all gone down to London for the end of Sophie's run in Eight Women and there was an amazing picture of her on the Burberry building in Knightsbridge. Her dad and I went round the building in the taxi three times just to take it all in."

Fiona, however, stressed that the despite the kudos of becoming of the latest face of Burberry, Sophie's over-riding ambition was to make it as an actress.

She said: "I know I'm her mum but I just think she has something special. And she is in acting for the long run. She didn't sign up to model.

"She was thrilled to bits to have been chosen as a face of Burberry. But the big Burberry campaign launch was last week and she was at audition in Tooting the next day. "

Fiona added: "If you have the work ethic that she has - and the professionalism that I believe she has - the world's her oyster."

The Burberry photographs were taken on Brighton beach on an October morning. She said: "It was quite something, shooting in T-shirts and white jeans in October in the rain, trying to walk on pebbles in high heels.

"It's amazing how brilliant the shots are when we were both freezing. It's awe- striking to work with Mario, but he's really friendly and funny."

If the face fits

Previous Burberry "faces" include: l Emma Watson, right, who starred as Hermione Grainger in the Harry Potter movies and who spearheaded the fashion house's autumn and winter collection in 2010. l Tom Nicon, the 22-year-old French male model, who died after falling four floors from his apartment window in Milan in June of last year.

• Rachel Weisz, Oscar-winning US actress and star of The Constant Gardener. l Tali Lennox, the daughter of Scots pop star Annie Lennox. l Victoria's Secret model Rosie Huntington Whiteley.

• The 18-year-old British model Cara Delevingne.