Coronation Street star Sam Aston is well-known to fans of the ITV soap for playing Chesney Brown for almost two decades - but they may not know that soap stardom runs in the family.
Appearing in ITV dramas The Bill and Where The Heart Is before becoming a Corrie regular, Sam made his TV debut aged just five as an extra in Eddie Mountain and also starred in a Warburtons bread advert aged six.
The 28-year-old was cast as Chesney Brown in 2003, the mischievous son of Cilla Brown - a role which won him the award of Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 2004. He also picked up Best Dramatic Performance for a Young Actor at the British Soap Awards the following year.
But Sam isn’t the only one in his family who has found fame on the cobbles, BirminghamLive reports. His sister Emily appeared in Corrie as the character Rebecca Palmer for 51 episodes between 1996 and 1997.
Like her brother, Emily Aston also appeared in episodes of The Bill, and has most recently appeared in BBC soap Doctors playing various characters from 2008 to 2021. The actress was also nominated for a Best Actress BAFTA in 1991 for her role in BBC mini-series Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.
Sam's little brother Joseph has also starred in the ITV soap. He appeared in Corrie back in 2000 as one of the actors to portray the grandson of iconic characters Jack and Vera Duckworth.
Sam has been married to yoga teacher Briony Gardner since May 2020, after proposing to her at an annual charity golf dinner in 2017 in front of 250 people.
The couple, who welcomed their first child Sonny James Aston in August 2020, announced in October that they were expecting their second child this spring.
ITV Coronation Street continues to air on ITV1. Sam posted a tribute to the soap on its 60th birthday back in December 2020, calling it “the show I have spent over half my life in”, adding that he had “made great friends and had some amazing opportunities- over the years”.
“I count my blessings for being a small part of this amazing production and everything the show has given to me,” the actor wrote.
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