Brooke Elizabeth Burns (born March 16, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. Burns was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Betsy (nee Davis), a homemaker, and Brad Thomas Burns, who worked in health care. Burns has 2 sisters. She starred in North Shore, a prime-time soap opera on Fox that consisted of 21 episodes which ran from June 14, 2004 through January 13, 2005. She also had a minor role in Shallow Hal. In November 2005, Burns broke a bone in her neck after diving into a pool at her home. Burns mentors for Penny Lane, a home for abused children.