Tonya was born and raised in Swansea, where she was a member of West Glamorgan Youth Theatre and the National Youth Theatre of Wales. She went on to train at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Her television work includes DaVinci’s Demons, Emmerdale, Casualty, Gwaith Cartref,Pobol Y Cwm, 2 Dy a ni ,Treflan, Dirty Work, Trail of Guilt,The Secret World of Michael Fry, Mortimer’s Law, The Bill, Iechyd Da, Pam fi Duw and Y Glas. Theatre work includes Ty Barnarda Alba, Tyner yw’r Lleuad, a Y Pair ( Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), Our County’s Good ( Watermill Theatre/West Berkshire), Cancer Time (Latchmere/theatre 503) The Cruicible (Young Vic workshop), Witch Child (One Woman show at Taliesin arts Centre), Flora’s war, The Secret, Word for Word, Hard Times, Silas Marner, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Damwain a Hap (all for Clwyd Theatr Cymru), Anne Frank (one woman show New Vic Stoke) and Christmas Carol (New Victoria Stoke) Jack and the Beanstalk and Hansel and Gretel (Torch Theatre) and Robin Hood (UK productions, Malvern)
Film work includes Blue Monday, Omlet and The Dark. Numerous radio plays and voice overs. She is probably best known however for her role as Yvonne in Pobol y Cwm.