Fans of Coronation Street have been left absolutely astonished by the transformation of young star Jude Riordan. The 13-year-old actor, who famously plays Sam Blakeman – son of characters Nick Tilsley (played by Ben Price) and Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac) – since October 2020, has not been spotted on the show for a short while.
Jude surprised followers with a fresh batch of professional headshots on his Instagram, causing quite a stir among his fans. With a mature look and a sombre pose, he captioned his post: “HEADSHOTS 2025”.
Admirers were quick to respond, one exclaiming: “Oh! You’re growing up so much Jude.” The comment section saw a mix of nostalgia and awe, as one fan lamented: “I think we’ve lost our little Sam.”
Others engaged with lighthearted shock: “Who are you? What have you done to the kid?” People were especially vocal about Jude’s more mature appearance, with remarks like: “Looking so grown up. Aww where’s little Sam gone.”
His acting skills did not go unnoticed, with one fan complimenting: “Fantastic actor growing up. You will be on our screens for years and lovely to watch you grow.”
Echoing sentiments of surprise, another commented: “You look like a teenager now… I feel old, having watched you in A Secret Life of Four Year Olds… please don’t let Corrie ever write Sam into a miserable and rude teenager – he is the best exemption out there.”
Bringing humour into the reactions, yet another added: “Your voice changing was jarring enough, not-so-little-anymore dude!” In a playful response to the buzz about his changing looks, Jude shared another current photo of himself enjoying what seems to be a concert on his Instagram story.
Reflecting on his growth, Jude joked: “Look at how old I am now. I know Sam has been missing off screen for about 34 years, but I will be 14 in a few weeks.”
Over the past five years, his character Sam has been involved in several storylines, including meeting his real father at nine years old, coping with the death of his mother Natasha, and navigating through grief.
But Jude’s acting career isn’t confined to Coronation Street. He first gained recognition in 2017 when he appeared in Channel 4’s documentary The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds.
Following this, he played Little Phil in Katy. From 2019 to 2024, he took on the role of Tyler Croft in Sky’s Brassic and also portrayed Sean in Hidden.