 Her first experience of acting came about when a friend of hers who was at film school had a friend who was doing a film for their degree, and asked Dhiri to be in it.Before going to drama school, Dhiri sang in a touring cabaret group for about 18 months, doing Tina Turner and Janet Jackson impressions

Her other jobs included working in a designer clothes shop called "Names" in The Lanes, Brighton, being a croupier, and cleaning.In 1996 she played the role of Jarmila "Milly" Nassim in the acclaimed BBC Two drama series "This Life", three years after leaving drama college.