She was brought up in Holme Wood in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and has been acting since age 12. She attended the Scala Kids drama school in her hometown. Metcalfe did a degree in Health and Fitness before proceeding with an acting career.

Before Hollyoaks, she appeared in several TV shows including kids' TV series My Parents Are Aliens and ITV dramas Where The Heart Is and At Home with the Braithwaites, as well as Yorkshire soap Emmerdale.

In between acting jobs Metcalfe worked as a fitness instructor in Bradford.

Co-owns clothing rental boutique The Closet in Liverpool with Hollyoaks co-stars Claire Cooper and Leah Hackett, which opened in April 2010.

In June 2006 Metcalfe began playing Mercedes McQueen in the soap opera Hollyoaks.

In 2007 and 2008, she was nominated for Sexiest Female at both the British Soap Awards and the Inside Soap Awards for her role as Mercedes, along with John Cooper who won Sexiest Male for his role in The Street.

Metcalfe appeared in a 1999 episode of My Parents Are Aliens titled "First Christmas".

She has also had many a short interview with teen-girl magazine Mizz, as well as a small spread in loveit! magazine.

Metcalfe has also appeared on Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack (along with Hollyoaks colleagues Claire Cooper and Gemma Merna), Lily Allen and Friends, and The Friday Night Project.