Born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Hardwick studied Performing Arts at Park Lane College, Leeds, and then attended Scala Performing Arts, Leeds, following which she has acted in the theatre as well as appearing on television. In 2000, she played the role of Hero in the Northern Broadsides' production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing". She has taken notable roles in "Heartbeat" and "Coronation Street". Michelle has appeared in three different episodes of the ITV UK TV series "Heartbeat" (1995 as Sandra in "Toss up"; 2002 as Lesley Sutton in "Coming of Age", which featured the death of character PC Tom Nicholson, played by Ryan Early; and finally in 2003 as Lizzie Hopkirk in "Out of the Blue"). Hardwick appeared in "Coronation Street" in 1997 as Sheila Dixon and in 1998 as Naomi Russell.