Real life soap stars you didn’t know were related from Emmerdale twins to Corrie cousins
Loyal soap viewers, who have been following the actors for years, may not know that a number of actors have real-life family connections
Soap stars often build strong bonds while filming long-running shows, and it is no surprise that they often compare each other to family.
Loyal viewers following the actors for years may not know that several stars have real-life family connections away from our TV screens.
Popular soaps Emmerdale, Coronation Street, and EastEnders are home to many family members working together or appearing on rival shows but still supporting each other along the way.
Let’s look at the real-life soap stars who are siblings, from the Swash’s and the Thomas brothers.
Joe and Shana Swash
Former king of the jungle, Joe Swash, first made a name for himself hanging around Albert Square. He was well known for his role as Mickey Miller from 2005 to 2011 on EastEnders and shared the screen with his real-life sister Shana, who played his on-screen sibling Demi.
Meanwhile, their elder sister, Amelia Flanagan, plays April Windsor on Emmerdale. The talented acting trio’s proud parents often praise their children on social media and give a glimpse at their lives away from the soaps.
Nick and John Pickard
Nick and John Pickard are another sibling duo in the soap world. Nick’s character, Tony Hutchinson, has been a Hollyoaks favourite for years, and his real-life brother played Tony’s brother Dom from 2005 to 2010.
Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling
Sebastian and Gabrielle Dowling played real-life twins Cathy and Heath Hope in Emmerdale.
The siblings took on the role of Viv and Bob Hope’s children back in 2007. However, earlier this year, in a tragic twist, Heath was killed off in a devastating New Year car crash storyline, but Cathy is still on the soap.
Amy, Sally and Kimberly Walsh
Amy Walsh, who joined Emmerdale as Tracy Metcalfe in 2014, isn’t the only member of her family to star in the soap. Her sister Sally played Lyn Hutchinson from 1997 to 2000. They also have another famous sibling – former Girls Aloud singer Kimberly Walsh and a brother called Adam.
Will and Peter Ash
Coronation Street star Peter Ash is a real-life cousin of Will Ash, who plays Caleb Milligan on the rival soap Emmerdale.
Back when Will was announced to be joining Emmerdale in 2022, Peter tweeted: “Yes! This is my cousin, Will! He’s an absolutely fantastic actor, and was one of my big inspirations for getting into acting myself! Can’t wait to see him do his stuff in #Emmerdale!” (sic)
Brooke Vincent and Ellie Leach
Brooke Vincent grew up on Corrie, playing the role of Sophie Webster from 2004 until she left in 2019.
In 2011, Brooke was thrilled when her younger cousin Ellie Leach joined the cobbles as Faye Windass – a role she played until 2023. Ellie, 23, went on to win Strictly Come Dancing last year with Vito Coppola.
Charley Webb and Jamie Lomas
Charley Webb played the legendary character Debbie Dingle from 2002 until 2021. She has since starred in several shows, such as The Long Shadow.
However, she’s not the only famous soap star in her family. Her real-life brother Jamie Lomas has played Hollyoaks legend Warren Fox since 2006 but left the Channel 4 soap earlier this year. Jamie also took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Ryan Thomas and Adam Thomas
Ryan Thomas was just a youngster when he first set foot on the cobbles on Christmas Day in 2000 as Jason Grimshaw. He left the hit ITV soap back in 2016.
Meanwhile, back in 2009, his younger brother Adam Thomas joined rival soap Emmerdale as Adam Barton, a role he played until 2018. The siblings also have another famous brother, Scott Thomas, who appeared on Love Island in 2016.
Greg Wood and Matt Milburn
Coronation Street fans were stunned to discover that two characters who never met on the iconic cobbles were actually related in real life.
Actor Matt Milburn plays Tommy Orpington, a famous footballer for Weatherfield County on the soap who had an affair with Tracy Barlow earlier this year.
Yet he’s not the only famous Corrie actor in the family as his real-life brother Greg Wood played nasty loan shark Rick Neeson on the cobbles.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays
