Kristina Laitinen was born in 1985 in Petrozavodsk, Russia, of Russian-Finnish descent. She discovered her interest in creative arts at a young age, performing a variety of amateur school productions and eagerly participating in art classes from the age of five. Kristina’s parents encouraged her to enter a specialist music school, where she was set to study vocals and musical instruments. Having passed the audition with exemplary feedback, Kristina’s family were unable to pay the fees necessary to secure a place there, and so she pursued regular education, but never let her interest or dreams fizzle away.
After she emigrated to Finland with her family at the age of nine, she continued following her interest in arts by attending every possible class of creative self-expression. She took her first step into the performing arts industry at the age of 16 when she joined the Russian "SADKO" society. Her first stage appearance in theatre was in the fairytale production The Hunchback Horse, directed by professional actor Michael Yegorenko, where she played two different characters simultaneously. From 2004 to 2006 she attended the Russian Theatre drama school in Finland.
Kristina next decided to continue her learning in the United Kingdom because she was impressed by its longstanding dramatic arts tradition and literary heritage. After auditioning, she was accepted on a three-year Dance and Theatre course at Coventry University, where she is currently finishing her degree. Throughout her time at university she utilises her time studying drama, ballet and contemporary dance techniques. During her first two years she has also participated in several final year student productions, playing roles such as Fernande Olivier in Picasso's Women (2007); Sarah in The Will (2008); and performed in a contemporary dance piece Global Emotions (2008). By gaining valuable performance experience, Kristina is becoming more and more convinced that her place in this world is on stage.