Sheridan Smith has been a household name for many years with an impressive back catalogue of acting credits under her belt. The actress has played a huge range of diverse roles and this week has appeared on our screens as Ann Ming in the heartbreaking and inspiring real-life story of a mum who finds strength to challenge the centuries-old Double Jeopardy Law.
The drama follows the tragic challenges faced by the Ming family after the murder of their 22-year-old daughter, Julie. In the wake of multiple police failings, Ann relentlessly pressures the authorities to uncover the truth and make sure her daughter’s killer is brought to justice after a fifteen-year battle.
Julie’s mum, Ann Ming, campaigned for 15 years to get the 800-year-old law changed so that Billy Dunlop could be charged for the same crime twice. In 2006, he became the first person to be tried under the new rules. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Sheridan told Good Housekeeping about the importance of the role for her and what it means for her career. She said: “I Fought the Law is probably the hardest job I’ve ever done, partly because I wanted to do Ann Ming’s story justice. She’s a little firecracker of a woman who took on the establishment and won. She’s my hero.”
It isn’t the only series Sheridan has been working on. It was announced in March that Sheridan would be appearing in a new “high energy” crime story set in Liverpool, called ‘The Cage’. Sheridan, who has a strong bond with Liverpool after portraying Cilla Black, will play Leanne in the show, which will comprise five episodes.
Although she has chosen more serious roles in recent years, it was sitcoms that helped launch the 44-year-old to stardom. She came to prominence after playing parts in The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin and Stacey and Benidorm.
Collecting many accolades for her performances, Sheridan earned a BAFTA award for Best Leading Actress in 2013 for her role in Mrs. Biggs. The 43-year-old has been as much a hit off-screen with an excellent stage presence.
While we may regularly see Sheridan on our screens, off-screen she has been open about her personal life. This includes dating James Corden between 2007 and 2009, after the pair met on the set of Fat Friends in 2002, before being cast as brother and sister in Gavin and Stacey. However, by 2008, the pair had confirmed their split.
She has one child, a son named Billy, who she shares with ex-partner Jamie Horn. Sheridan was in a relationship with the insurance broker between 2018 and 2021, with their son born in May 2020.
Jamie and Sheridan met on the dating app Tinder after the pair both swiped right for each other. They opened up about first seeing each other in 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 two were engaged before calling time on their relationship.
In September 2020, in the 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. After the couple split, Sheridan began dating her new partner, Alex Lawler. But the couple had broken up by early 2022.
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.
Starring in the musical Opening Night, about a star with mental health problems who is unravelling on stage, Sheridan shared parallels between the story and her own life. In the story, Myrtle, played by the TV star, is having a nervous breakdown after the death of one of her fans.
Speaking to the BBC last year, Sheridan said: “I have been in my own mental crisis before, which was quite well publicised, so there are definitely parts of myself that I can bring to the character.” She added: “I had a wobble, covered myself in a tattoos. I lost a lot of confidence around that time, but it has come back thankfully, due to friends and supportive people.”
After the death of her dad in 2016, Sheridan says she has always been able to rely on the support of the public. Colin Smith was diagnosed with cancer early in the year and passed away in the December.
In an honest admission shared with the BBC, she said: “I am very grateful because the public always stood by me, whatever went on in the press. They understood that when you are grieving, you can’t really explain what you go through and people were stopping me and cuddling me on the street.”
Last year, the Cilla star also opened up about her ADHD diagnosis. She told Vogue: “I never know what to say and I overthink.” She admitted she overanalyses small things such as the mums’ WhatsApp group.
She 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. Perhaps one of the most moving roles taken on by Sheridan in her career was for ‘The C Word’.
The C Word was an adaptation of Lisa Lynch’s candid book about her experience of cancer, based on her popular blog, which was launched shortly after her diagnosis. This film was a story of life, love and cancer. For her moving performance, she received a Leading Actress nomination at the BAFTAs. It was also nominated for Best Single Drama.
The show Sheridan is currently starring in, I Fought The Law, aired on ITV and STV yesterday, August 31. It will be available to stream on ITVX and STV Player this autumn, followed by the I Fought The Law: The Ann Ming Story documentary.