Sam Aston has been a key member on Coronation Street ever since he joined the show.
The soap star was just 10 years old when he was cast in the long-running programm e as Chesney Brown in 2003.
Sam had only appeared in Where the Heart is and The Bill before he arrived on Weatherfield, but he immediately made an impression and was awarded Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards in 2004.
READ MORE: Former ITV Coronation Street star could be set for long-awaited return
The actor hasn't looked back since and Corrie fans have watched his character's turbulent journey into adulthood.
Sam is now aged 28 and Chesney has been a part of famous storylines such as his close bond with dog Schmeichel, rollercoaster romance with Sinead Tinker and being a dad to quadruplets with Gemma Winter.
Chesney is still a major part in the show and was recently embroiled in an extensive search for missing son Joseph after he ran away.
Joseph was eventually returned home, but the relationship with his child has been strained due to Chesney's financial woes.
The money issues have also caused tension with his partner Gemma after the electricity was turned off in their home in this week's episodes.
Away from the screen, Sam's life is fortunately a lot less dramatic than his iconic character.
The actor is the youngest of nine children and members of his family have also appeared in Coronation Street.
His sister Emily played Becky Palmer in the show from 1996 - 1997 and his brother Joseph played Tommy Duckworth in 2000.
The actor is now happily married to his childhood sweetheart, Briony Gardner, who he met when he was around 15 years old.
However, he told the Sunday Mirror how the two nearly lost touch when they were teenagers.
He said: "Briony and I met when I was about 15 or 16.
“We talked through MSN messenger and then went on a date. We got together, but we were very young. I ended it – which she always likes to bring up.
"We lived quite far from each other and because we were so young, neither of us drove. We went to different schools and at weekends had different hobbies.
“I was in Corrie too, so I had filming. We just didn’t see enough of each other. We split, but there was nothing bitter about it.”
Fortunately for Sam, the pair were reunited by chance at acting school three or four years later.
He added: "Three or four years later we were both helping out at the same drama workshop, Carol Godby’s acting school, which is where I started as a youngster.
“I was teaching and Briony was in the room next door. I think she might have given me a funny look when I first walked in, but we soon got past that and straight away we got talking.
“We went for a meal that night at a country pub and that was it. We’ve been together ever since.”
Briony and Sam got married in 2019 and they welcomed their first child, Sonny, in 2020.
The couple are expecting a baby daughter in May and Sam admitted he was surprised at the pregnancy news.
He told OK! : "I could see us having another boy, so it was a really nice surprise.
"I was quite shocked. I don’t know why, because it’s a 50/50 chance!
"There are twins in Briony’s family, so when we went in I was a bit nervous and said, 'There’s definitely only one in there, right?' He said, 'There’s only one!' and then told us it was a girl!"
Briony works as a yoga teacher and she said they weren't planning on having a second child.
She added: "We were actually trying not to get pregnant! [Laughs] Just because Sonny was so premature – my concern was having two too close together and having another premature baby. But it just happened!"
Briony concerned her followers back in 2019 when she revealed Sam had rushed her to hospital after she was suffering with "crippling" stomach pain.
According to The Mirror, she said: "Last Sunday me and Sam sat in bed with a cup of tea binge watching Unbelievable with both doggies under the covers and we discussed having the perfect, cosy Sunday.
"Then I started to get crippling pains in my back and belly. Long story short: Sam took me to hospital where I was given morphine for what we think was kidney stones and that ruined our Sunday dream so we're living and loving it this week instead.
"PS. before the meds, the nurse basically turned into a yoga teacher and taught me how to breathe, because somehow despite teaching breath-work about 17 times a week I somehow forgot how to breathe."
Sam did not comment publicly on the issue and admitted he is a private person during his first solo TV interview on This Morning in 2019.
He said: "I quite like my privacy, I'm a simple guy really.
"I wouldn't say I'm a recluse but I like my own space."
Sam has remained down to earth despite growing up in the public eye - and he puts this down to his close-knit family at home and behind the scenes on Coronation Street.
He said: "I can see how it can get to you, especially as a child actor. It’s not a normal upbringing. I came into Corrie with some huge characters – Les Battersby [Bruce Jones] and Cilla Battersby-Brown [Wendi Peters]."
"You never feel alone with such a large family. You’ve always got someone there for you.
“We look out for one another. It’s the same at Coronation Street. It’s another huge family. I absolutely love it.”
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV and ITV Hub
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
