Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy in Simon Armitage’s new play The Last Days Of Troy, which plays at Shakespeare’s Globe this summer following its premiere at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre.

Directed by Nick Bagnall, the play dramatises and completes the narrative of Homer’s Iliad, bringing the siege of Troy to its bloody conclusion.

The production marks Cole’s first major role on stage. Best known for her hugely successful career as a model, she has made her mark on the acting world in films including St Trinian’s, The Moth Diaries, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, Passages, There Be Dragons and Snow White And The Huntsman.

Described by the playwright as “a back-room story of wounded pride, and the push and pull of family ties and national loyalty”, The Last Days Of Troy offers a tense and intriguing interpretation of one of Western literature’s greatest myths.