They've encountered more drama than most, especially for their young years, so perhaps it's only natural that Sam Blakeman and Hope Dobbs should be drawn together. Twelve-year-old Hope and 11-year-old Sam are now boyfriend and girlfriend after bonding over traumas including Hope being slapped by Beth Sutherland.
In Monday night's episode of Coronation Street (March 13), the friends revealed that they had become an item. Their proud parents beamed about them becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.
Hope's mum and dad Fiz and Tyrone cooed over the new couple as they sat together on the sofa before heading off to the cinema, and even tried to get a photo much to Hope's disgust. Tyrone then paid for the tickets for their first date, with Sam going over the top by wearing a suit.
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Viewers were gobsmacked with @pam_debeauvoir taking to Twitter to exclaim: "A date. A flipping date. At Sam & Hope's age, the nearest I got to a date was no date at all....and the dates that dad used to buy at Christmas....the ones that nobody wanted." And @fulbut asked: "How old is Sam & Hope?"
Other Corrie fans are now concerned for quiet Sam in growing close to hellraising firestarter Hope. @itzzzo_asked: "Can we report Nick to Weatherfield social services? It's child cruelty allowing Sam to go on a date with Hope."
@DionPetrie decided: "Sam deserves better." While others suspect Hope might lead Sam astray in the soap. @DavidBoink previously said about the pair: "I'd portray Sam & Hope as next Bonnie & Clyde involved in meths, ransomware, hacking and racketeering. He'd be the brains of the operation with Hope as the muscle incase anyone gets lippy."
And @arlawrencewrite said: "Awww Look at him in his suit for his date with Hope. Little Sam is going for the bad girls eh? Advice: Young man they are fun hard work and addictive be warned."
But @bulldozer007 applauded: "Sam & Hope make a cute couple on #Corrie , they kind of remind me of Craig & Faye when they were kids." And @mikepriestley13 pointed out: "Young love for Sam and hope … at least we’re not seeing hope set fires or ripping heads of dolls for a while."
But @Samanth22356123 thinks they could become another quarrelling but longstanding and much-loved couple as they shared a picture of Corrie icons Jack and Vera Duckworth. They predicted: "Sam & Hope in 50 years."
Sam is the son of Nick Tilsley and the late Natasha Blakeman. Sam didn't meet his father until he was nine years old as Natasha and Nick had split up before Natasha knew she was pregnant.
A chance encounter at Weatherfield General in 2020 caused Nick to find out that he had a son. Bright and with a passion for astronomy, Sam was very close to his mother.
However, Natasha was tragically shot dead by gangster Harvey Gaskell in 2021, leaving Sam mute from grief, until Hope helped him out of his shell. He now lives with Nick and his partner Leanne Battersby.
Hope is the daughter of Fiz and serial killer John Stape, and was raised by Fiz and her adoptive dad Tyrone Dobbs. Her father John died before her first birthday after he crashed his car while on the run for his involvement in the deaths of Colin Fishwick, Charlotte Hoyle and Joy Fishwick.
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