Coronation Street fans were stunned
Corrie child star Jude Riordan has certainly caught the attention of fans with his confident new look in some fresh professional headshots shared on social media.
The talented 13-year-old star behind Sam Blakeman – son of Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac) who joined the soap in October 2020 – hasn’t been featuring on our screens of late.
But after giving followers a glimpse of his matured appearance with an Instagram post captioned “HEADSHOTS 2025”, social media was buzzing. His followers were quick to express their surprise at his transformation, with one admirer commenting: “Oh! You’re growing up so much Jude.”
In the Instagram comments, people lamented the loss of young Sam, with quips such as “I think we’ve lost our little Sam”.
“Who are you? What have you done to the kid?” another joked.
Jude Riordan appears on Corrie(Image: PA)
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Another joined the chorus of amazement, remarking: “Looking so grown up. Aww where’s little Sam gone.”
Amid numerous praises for his acting skills, a fan hoped aloud: “Fantastic actor growing up. You will be on our screens for years and lovely to watch you grow.”
One nostalgic fan observed: “You look like a teenager now… I feel old, having watched you in A Secret Life of Four Year Olds… please don’t let Corrie ever write Sam into a miserable and rude teenager – he is the best exemption out there.”
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Adding to this sentiment, another chimed in: “Your voice changing was jarring enough, not-so-little-anymore dude!” Jude also recently updated his fans with a casual snap from what seems to be a live music event on his Instagram story, reports Belfast Live.
Coronation Street star Jude Riordan wowed fans(Image: Jude Riordan Instagram)
He humorously addressed remarks about his appearance, saying: “Lots of messages saying how old I look and how old I am now. I know Sam has been missing off screen for about 34 years, but I will be 14 in a few weeks.”
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During the last five years, Jude’s character Sam on Coronation Street was entangled in numerous plots, such as encountering his biological dad at age nine, coping with his mum Natasha’s death, and the subsequent sorrow.
Yet Jude’s credits extend beyond the cobbles of Coronation Street. His breakout was in Channel 4’s documentary The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds back in 2017.
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He went on to play Little Phil in Katy, and from 2019 to 2024, Jude starred as Tyler Croft in Sky’s hit series Brassic and likewise appeared as Sean in Hidden.
