Actress and former Dover Grammar School girl Sonita Henry will be putting on a Santa costume to take part in a charity run in December.

Sonita, who has appeared in a number of films including The Fifth Element, will be running five kilometres in the Do It For Charity Santa Run in London on December 8.

She is raising funds for the Mayhew Animal Home which is one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, and finds homes for thousands of dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs each year.

Sonita said she decided it was time to give running a try. “I’ve secretly always wanted to be one of those crazy people who run, for fun,” she said.

After leaving the grammar school, Sonita went to South Kent College to study media and undertook work experience with the Mercury.

She was picked by director Luc Besson to appear in The Fifth Element and has appeared in several other films, and television commercials. She played the doctor who delivered Captain Kirk as a baby in a Star Wars film.

Sonita lived in Hollywood for a while before returning to the UK.

People can sponsor her via www.justgiving.com/sonitahenry