Coronation Street star Jude Riordan shared an update on social media this week, easing fans’ concerns about his future on the ITV soap after sparking exit fears.
The “unrecognisable” actor made his debut on Coronation Street in 2020 as Sam Blakeman, the son of Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and the late Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac). Sam did not meet his father until the age of nine, as Nick and Natasha had separated before she realised she was pregnant.
Nick only discovered he had a son following a chance encounter at Weatherfield General, and with Natasha’s blessing, he became part of Sam’s life.
Tragedy struck in 2021 when Natasha was shot dead by gangster Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) in a case of mistaken identity. Following her death, Sam went on to live with Nick and his partner Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) at 12 Victoria Court.
Jude’s performance has been widely praised, and in 2021 he won the Best Newcomer award at the National Television Awards for his role as Sam. Away from Coronation Street, the young actor has appeared in Channel 4’s documentary The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds, played Little Phil in the 2018 series Katy, and portrayed the on-screen son of former Corrie star Michelle Keegan in Sky One’s Brassic.
Earlier this week, Jude left fans stunned after unveiling his latest transformation. Taking to Instagram, the Coronation Street star shared a series of snaps from a recent photoshoot, with many followers commenting on how different he looked.
The actor also posted several new headshots, which led some Corrie viewers to worry that he might be preparing to leave the ITV soap.
“Have you left Corrie? Hope not, great actor,” one fan wrote, while another commented: “I’ve literally just realised… where is Sam lately?”
A third added: “Where have you been? Miss you so much on the cobbles! Is it that pesky thing called education keeping you away?” while another similarly said: “We never see you on Corrie these days. I hope you haven’t left — you’re looking so grown up.”
Jude was quick to reassure fans that he isn’t going anywhere, responding: “Nope! Just look very different from last year’s headshots!” He also confirmed that he will be back on screen next week.
Coronation Street producer Kate Brooks has recently confirmed that Sam will be at the centre of a dark new storyline later this year involving child predator Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon). The sports coach is currently grooming newcomer Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale), while his family remain unaware of the disturbing situation unfolding.
Speaking previously, Kate said: “The Driscolls are such a fantastic family with a great dynamic in the pub — I absolutely adore them. But there is so much more to come for this family, and we’ve only scratched the surface.”
She went on to explain that Sam becomes indirectly involved due to his connection to the pub family, adding: “Sam is obviously semi-related to the pub family, and he may sense that something isn’t right. We’ll see the lengths Megan goes to in order to manipulate Sam and keep him quiet, and it will be hugely damaging to Sam’s wellbeing.”
Kate also teased the impact the storyline will have on Will’s father, Ben, saying: “It’s a real journey for us to take Ben on as well, as they all try to navigate something they never imagined facing. It really puts their strength as a family unit to the test.”
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