Amanda Stepto

Amanda Felicitas Stepto (born 31 July 1970) is a Canadian former actress who is best known for her role as Christine "Spike" Nelson in the Degrassi television franchise. With no previous acting experience, Stepto rose to prominence playing the character in the critically and commercially successful CBC series Degrassi Junior High (1987–89) and its follow-up Degrassi High (1989–91). Spike's controversial teenage pregnancy storyline, as well as her spiked hairstyle, gave Stepto significant media attention in Canada. Degrassi Junior High was largely truncated and later dropped by the BBC in large part due to episodes about Spike's pregnancy. As part of the Playing With Time Repertory Company, Stepto was made a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF Ontario. In the early 1990s, Stepto was a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood and was sponsored by the organization for a controversial 1993 tour of Albertan high schools. Having left acting in the 1990s due to typecasting and loss of interest, Stept... ()