Coronation Street star Jude Riordan has shared a sad family update. The actor has played the role of Sam Blakeman on the Cobbles for a number of years, he has been a familiar face on our screens years after joining the soap in late 2020.
Jude has won acclaim for his incredible performances through difficult storylines after his onscreen mum, Natasha Blakeman, was killed by the villainous Harvey Gaskell. The talented star received award recognition when he picked up the best newcomer prize at the National Television Awards in 2021.
The Sam Blakeman star’s rise to fame began in 2017 when he appeared on the Channel 4 documentary, The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds. He has also appeared on the Sky One show, Brassic, as Tyler Croft, his on-screen mum is played by former Coronation Street star Michelle Keegan.
On Instagram today, Jude shared a picture of his pet dog Ruby, as she celebrates her 12th birthday. An adorable picture showed Jude holding Ruby as a puppy and one of Ruby now, alongside a helium “12” balloon.
Jude captioned the post: “My bestie girl is 12. She’s slowing down and it’s sad to see. We love you Ruby.” The 14-year-old has been vocal about his family life and time away from the screen.
He is not the only soap star in his family. His dad, Paul Riordan, also works in the TV world with his son. While he may not be known for his time on-screen, he has had a huge impact behind the scenes of many shows as a TV director.
His TV career started in a behind-the-scenes role in Hollyoaks before he went on to work on soaps including Emmerdale, Coronation Street and Casualty.
One of the latest projects the director has worked on was BBC show Phoenix Rise. Speaking about the show, Paul said: “Had a really great time on Phoenix Rise, directing a brilliant cast and working with a wonderful crew.”
Jude’s brother is also no stranger to the screen as they appeared together on Corrie in 2022. Zach played Oscar in the show, who took on Sam in a chess tournament at the bistro.
The actor celebrated his 14th birthday back in May. Off-screen, he has formed close bonds with the young Coronation Street actors he works alongside.
Hope Dobbs star Bella Flanagan shared a selfie of the two to her Instagram story, she captioned the image “Happy birthday bezzie love you.”
Will Flanagan has appeared as Joseph Brown on Corrie since October 2017, the son of Chesney.
He posted a photo of Jude to his Instagram account, wishing him a happy birthday. He said: “Happy birthday to my best Corrie mate, have a gooden lad.”