Roberts' parents are from the Caribbean. Her mother, Josephine is from the Creole island of Dominica and her late father, Oswald, was born in Jamaica.[4] They met and married in Toronto, Canada, where Roberts and her brother Mark were born. Roberts still has close ties to both islands. As a child, Roberts performed as a member of The Friendship Circle, a group of young singers and dancers directed by Lois Lilienstein of Sharon, Lois and Bram and her partner Louise. The ensemble toured locally, singing folk songs at schools and festivals like Mariposa, as well as appearing on Bram's TV show.
Under the direction of her older cousins, Roberts began her stage career as a leading lady in home productions put on for friends and parents. She attended a drama lab at the University of Toronto at age 12, which solidified her interest in the craft.
While enrolled in the gifted program at Earl Haig Secondary School, Roberts was given special permission to enter the acting stream at Claude Watson School for the Arts. Roberts finished her studies at C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute.
Roberts received the Harold Award for theater in 1996.[10]
She received the Reelworld Trailblazer award at the ReelWorld Film Festival in 2014 for her body of work in film and television.[11] And in 2022 she received the Independent Leader Award at the Vaughan International Film Festival [12]
