Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Stephanie Colderick

ITV Maryland: Suranne Jones' real name, Coronation Street fame, TV producer husband and how she was 'relentlessly bullied'

Award-winning actress Surrane Jones is back on screens as she leads the cast of the new ITV1 drama Maryland. You can read everything you need to know about Maryland here.

Surrane shot to fame when she first appeared in Coronation Street originally in a small role in 1997 and then as Karen Phillips in 2000. Fans loved her in the role and Surrane remained in the soap for four years before leaving in 2004 and her next role was in the ITV detective drama series, Vincent.

It was during her early career that Suranne changed her name, with Suranne not being her real first name. She was born Sarah Ann Jones and mixed the names together to create Suranne when she joined the trade union Equity and her birth name was already taken. Union rules dictate that each union member must have a different name.

READ MORE: New Leonardo DiCaprio movie Killers of the Flower Moon scores 97% on Rotten Tomatoes - with his acting dubbed 'best ever'

Recently, Surrane has spoken about the "relentless bullying" she suffered as a teenager. Speaking to the Big Issue, she said: "As a teenager, I was still figuring out who I was. That journey wasn’t always easy. The bullying I faced was relentless and terrifying. I constantly felt like I was standing out for all the wrong reasons. It was an ongoing battle between wanting to fit in and wanting to be myself.”

The star is married to screenwriter Laurence Akers after they met in 2013. They first crossed paths at the wedding of actress Sally Lindsay and musician Steve White, before going on to tie the knot themselves in 2014, as reported by Heart. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.

In 2017 Laurence wrote his first full-length film called Gone, which Suranne starred in. Laurence has also worked as a producer for the BBC and before producing television shows, Laurence worked as a magazine editor and ran the publication Nikon Pro.

The couple have one child together, a son, who was born in 2016. Their son's name is not known as they keep their private life out of the spotlight.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.