Coronation Street star Samia Longchambon is looking as youthful as she did as a teenager as she shared a brilliant throwback clip from one of her first jobs. The actress is now best known for playing Maria Windass in the ITV soap but before making the cobbles her home, she had a couple of other roles.
Samia's first foray into acting was in the crime drama Cracker in 1994, before she landed a small role as Charlotte in the CITV series Children's Ward a year later. She joined Corrie at the age of eight and 10 years later she became a regular on the show.
But before then she also had roles in Heartbeat and Doctors. Taking to her Instagram Story, Samia shared a clip of herself in Heartbeat in the role of Maddy. The episode aired in 1997, when she was 15, and the now 40-year-old later appear in the ITV police procedural period drama in 2000 as Sian Horrocks.
Posting a clip of her first role in Heartbeat, Samia typed: "Proper #throwback today on @ITV3. Classic #Heartbeat from 1997 when I was 15," before adding a baby, crying laughing face and mind blown face emojis. She could be seen alongside fellow actress Tracie Bennett who fans will also recognise from her recent return to Corrie.
Samia went on to say: "One of my first ever jobs... Great memories with #traciebennett @coronationstreet. #Sharon." But Samia has since spent more than 22 years on our screen as Maria Windass - nee Sutherland and Connor - on the ITV soap.
She was just 18 when she made her debut on the famous cobbles as a kennelmaid at the family-run Sutherland's Kennels before she agreed to marry Tyrone Dobbs when he proposed atop Blackpool Tower. Their relationship, however, didn't last and Maria has gone on to face a host of good and bad times in Weatherfield since.
Off-screen, Samia has also gone through many of life's milestones with the Corrie cast by her side, from welcoming her two children - 12-year-old Freya and six-year-old Yves - and marrying former Dancing On Ice star Sylvain Longchambon. And last summer, her soap star friends were flooding her with heartfelt messages as she celebrated her milestone birthday. Samia shared posts from the likes of Andy Whyment and Alan Halsall to her Instagram Story for her thousands of followers to see.
On the last day of her 30s, Samia took to Instagram with a gorgeous selfie of herself from a birthday photoshoot with OK! Magazine. The mum-of-two was channelling rock chick glam in a plunging leather jacket and dramatic silver sparkling earrings. Her blond locks had been styled into loose curls while she rocked a dark smokey eye and nude lip.
But fans couldn't believe her age. @kirsty_a_williams wrote: "40! You look more 20." @jacqueline.jones1 shared: "Samia you look beautiful and must say more like in your twenties, keep living the life that you do because your looking good from it." The yoga fanatic actually credits her youthful looks to her Lebanese heritage on her father Joseph's side.
"My dad passed away when he was 65, he didn’t really have wrinkles," she told OK! "I care about my appearance and I’m lucky I don’t have any wrinkles but I can tell I look older in the mornings – my face takes longer to wake up. And I have to get my roots done every month to fend off the greys.
“Being on Corrie for so long has made my life go faster, as we always film six weeks ahead – we shoot Christmas scenes in October – so it’s not 40 the number I’m apprehensive about, as I’m still 20 in my head! Still, growing old is a privilege and I’m really happy with where I am in my life."
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