Sheridan has a strong bond with the city after playing the role of Cilla Black
Sheridan has a strong bond with the city after playing the role of Cilla Black
Actress Sheridan Smith will be returning to our TV screens for BBC’s new drama ‘The Cage’ this evening. Written and created by BAFTA award-nominated Tony Schumacher, the show is a high energy crime story set within the world of a Liverpool casino.
The storyline follows Leanne (Sheridan Smith) and Matty (Michael Socha) when they discover they are both stealing from the same safe at the inner-city casino they work in, as their lives are set on a collision course.
Sheridan is no stranger to taking on challenging roles and throughout the course of her career, the actress has excelled in many areas of TV, including drama, comedy and crime.
It was small roles in comedies that helped launch Sheridan to stardom. She established a name for herself after playing roles in The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin and Stacey and Benidorm.
Alongside Sheridan’s on-screen performances, her stage performances have been highly praised by critics through the years. Sheridan won the Olivier Award for her portrayal of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde and for her performance as Doris in Trevor Nunn’s revival of Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path. She received further Olivier nominations for Funny Girl and Little Shop of Horrors.
Before the awards, Sheridan had made her stage debut as Little Red Riding Hood in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Her most recent stage appearances include Shirley Valentine at the Duke of York’s Theatre and Opening Night at the Gielgud Theatre.
This year, she starred as Susan in Alan Ayckbourn’s psychological drama Woman in Mind at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. Both TV and theatre performances have earned Sheridan her status as one of the UK’s most loved stars.
Sheridan is best known for her TV roles including Cilla, which she received BAFTA and Emmy nominations for and Mrs Biggs for which she was a BAFTA winner. Away from TV, Sheridan lives a relatively private life with her son Billy, who was born in May 2020.
She shares her son with ex-partner Jamie Horn. Sheridan was in a relationship with the insurance broker between 2018 and 2021. Opening up about when they first saw each other during the documentary Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, Jamie said: “On our first date she was so timid, so sweet and nervous.
“She came into this ram-packed boozer, an hour late. She walked in and literally she gave me this smile from across the bar and that was it.” The couple were engaged before their relationship ended.
Sheridan regularly shares heartfelt messages for her son. When she has a break in her busy schedule, the TV star spends it with her family. A post to Instagram last year said: “Can’t sleep with excitement! Taking my perfect little man, my beautiful funny son on holiday tomorrow.
“Beyond excited for some quality time! Much needed, he is my absolute world! And I can’t wait to laugh and hang out as the double act we are.” She previously posted: “Sometimes when I need a miracle, I look into my son’s eyes and realise I’ve already created one.”
In the September 2020 mini-series Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum, she revealed the intimate story of her pregnancy and mental health struggles as she prepared to become a mum for the first time.
Sheridan has been open and honest about her struggles with anxiety and difficulties with alcohol and tattoos through the years. The star said after a “wobble” she “covered” herself in tattoos. Last year, the Cilla star also opened up about her ADHD diagnosis. She told Vogue: “I never know what to say and I overthink.”
Sheridan described how the diagnosis helped her make sense of her “brain’s background noise” and her struggle with constant restlessness and impulse control, offering her a new perspective on her challenges. Although Sheridan has a lot going on in her personal life, she is always working on exciting projects and loves coming to Liverpool.
Sheridan has been vocal about her love for Liverpool and its people. Ahead of The Cage airing on BBC this evening, she spoke about the warmth she feels when filming in the city.
She told BBC: “Liverpool is my favourite city. Everyone makes me so welcome. People are so friendly in Liverpool. We were filming one day, and people were bringing out cupcakes and coming out in their pyjamas going, ‘hey girl, come and have a cup of tea at ours’. I do feel like an adopted Scouser.”
