Alison Carroll was born in Croydon, Surrey in England.

She trained at the Urdang Academy in Musical Theatre and graduated in 2007 with a Distinction.[citation needed] She has represented Great Britain as a professional display gymnast. She was also a children's gymnastics coach, choreographing the winning junior team at the British National Championships.

Since 2007, she has been a registered actress.

In August 2008, she was announced as the new Lara Croft model for the latest game, Tomb Raider: Underworld. At the time, she was working as a receptionist at a golf club. Carroll replaced Karima Adebibe, who retired from the role earlier in the year.

She is the first Lara Croft model with training in gymnastics.