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Liverpool Echo
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Annie Roberts & Olivia Williams

ITV's No Return: Sheridan Smith's 'meltdown' after dad's death and two decade acting career

Sheridan Smith has a glittering acting career, spanning more than two decades - but it hasn't come without some trails and tribulations.

The 40-year-old actress and singer is probably best known for her roles Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps as Janet, which was set in Runcorn and playing Smithy's sister Ruth (Rudi) Smith in Gavin & Stacey.

Last year Sheridan released a Christmas single with Take That's Gary Barlow and in the first week of 2022 starred in BBC drama Four Lives, reports WalesOnline.

READ MORE : Pub shootout caught on CCTV as thugs shoot each other with the same gun

The TV star has also appeared in Channel 5's The Teacher.

Sheridan from Epworth in Lincolnshire is now playing the role of a mum fighting for her son's freedom in ITV drama No Return and also taking on a new challenge as a judge on Stars in Their Eyes-style TV talent show Starstruck.

Here's all the details on Sheridan Smith's career and her latest upcoming TV roles.

Stage and screen career

Sheridan first came onto our screens in 1999 in a small role as Emma, Anthony's girlfriend in sitcom The Royle Family.

In 2001, she went on to star as Janet in the British sitcom Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps and later in 2008, played Smithy's sister Rudi in Gavin & Stacey being part of some iconic scenes, such as when the pair rap to Estelle's American Boy featuring Kanye West.

She later went on to land leading roles, starring in ITV's Mrs Briggs drama in 2012 and in 2014 took on the role of Liverpool legend, Cilla Black in a drama written by Jeff Pope on Cilla's rise to fame in the early '60s.

In 2015, Sheridan was cast in The C-Word based on Lisa Lynch's irreverent blog on life and cancer.

Actress Sheridan Smith (Matt Crossick/PA Wire)

She also played leading roles in the West End, from Legally Blondes Elle Woods to Funny Girl's Fanny Brice in 2015.

In 2021, Sheridan presented a new dog show on BBC One called Pooch Perfect which saw dog groomers compete to be crowned Britain's best but the show was reportedly axed after just one series.

Sheridan starred in BBC's factual drama Four Lives at the start of 2022, which told the stories of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor, who were murdered by Stephen Port.

Personal life

Sheridan Smith was born in 1981 and in May 2020 welcomed a baby boy with ex-finace Jamie Horn who she named Billy. She regularly shares snaps of the one-year-old on her social media.

The singer is not currently known to be dating anyone. A report from The Mirror stated that the singer has reportedly split from her most recent boyfriend Alex Lawler.

Sheridan previously dated co-star James Corden in 2007 - who played her on-screen brother Neil (Smithy) Smith in Gavin & Stacey - and the pair were said to have had an on-off relationship and broke up in 2008. It was later reported that James had started dating singer Lilly Allen.

James and Sheridan got back together not long after but finally split a year later in 2009.

In December 2016, Sheridan sadly lost her father, Colin Smith, after he was diagnosed with cancer. In 2018, the star returned to her hometown for a one-off ITV documentary called Coming Home when she spoke of losing her dad.

In an interview with the Express, she says: "I kind of lost it a bit after he died. I've come out the other side now and I need to get it all out through my music.

"In public it looks like I've moaned about everything with my dad dying, but that's not the case. I just had a massive meltdown."

She also lost her 18-year-old brother Julian to cancer when she was young, which she opened up about in her ITV documentary Becoming Mum in 2020.

More recently in November 2021, it was reported that Sheridan had been involved in a horror car crash and was "lucky to be alive" following the incident near her home in Essex.

The crash happened just days after she had appeared on ITV's Jonathan Ross Show alongside Gary Barlow, to promote their new Christmas single, Jeremy Clarkson, Stephen Merchant, Sting and Riz Ahmed.

Has Sheridan Smith won a Grammy?

Although the singer hasn't won a Grammy she has won numerous awards for her work both on stage and screen.

In 2011, she bagged a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and in 2013 a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Ronald Biggs' wife Mrs Biggs in the ITV mini-series of the same name.

In 2015, the star won an National Television Award for best drama performance for her portrayal of Cilla Black on ITV's Cilla.

On the night, presenter Dermot O'Leary had to announce that the star was unable to collect her award as she was stuck in traffic.

The Mirror reported that when she finally reached the venue she said behind the scenes: "Thank you to my Cilla team. I thought I stood no chance. Thank you to everyone who voted. I'm going to go before I cry or swear.

"Something happened. There's traffic everywhere I was in the cab for three hours. They said my name and I was in the cab in traffic and I started crying. My mum is livid apparently. I didn't think for a second [I'd win] I was so gob smacked."

Has Sheridan Smith been awarded an OBE?

In 2015, Sheridan was named in the New Year Honours list for her services to drama. She received her award from the Duke of Cambridge in May 2015.

What shows is Sheridan Smith on currently?

Sheridan Smith is one of the four new Starstruck judges on the new Saturday night ITV talent show, which started on February 12 from 8.30pm.

She will be joined on the judging panel by Queen frontman Adam Lambert, comedian Jason Manford and recording artist Beverley Knight.

Sheridan is also on ITV's No Return, where she plays a mum who fights to prove her son's innocence after he is arrested during their family holiday.

The ITV four-part series started on Monday, February 7 from 9pm and is broadcasted weekly. All episodes will be available on ITV Hub and BritBox after the first episode has aired.

On Channel 5, Sheridan recently played the role of Jenna Garvey in psychological thriller The Teacher, the four-part series is now available to stream on My5.

BBC's Four Lives is also still available to watch on iPlayer. Sheridan plays Sarah Sak, the mother of Anthony Walgate as the series tells the true story of four young men who were murdered by Stephen Port and how their families fought for the truth and justice.

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