She announced in November that she was preparing for her “most important role to date” – and last week, Sheridan Smith finally stepped into that part, as she became a mum to a baby boy.
The actress posted an adorable picture of the tot’s hand on Instagram and said that she was “overwhelmed with love”, before thanking fans for their well wishes. According to insiders, Sheridan isn’t taking her new role lightly. In fact, she’s using it as her chance to wave goodbye to her past troubles and “make everyone proud”.
“Now that Sheridan is a mum, she is determined for this to be a fresh start in life,” says an insider close to the 38 year old, who’s had a much-documented battle with alcohol over the years, and has suffered with anxiety and depression, which became worse after the death of her beloved dad Colin in 2016.
“She is really enjoying her first few days of motherhood, while also making sure she is keeping an eye on all her triggers. She’s been reading a lot of self-help books and talking regularly to her friends who have kids. In general, she’s feeling really strong right now.”
CHECK OUT the celebs expecting a baby in 2020
Closer - stars expecting babies in 2020 / 2021
1 of 7Sarah-Jane Crawford and Brian Barry-Murphy
TV and radio presenter Sarah-Jane Crawford has announced she's pregnant with her first child. The little one who is due in August is Sarah's first child and her boyfriend Brian Barry-Murphy's second child (he's already a dad from a previous relationship).
2 of 7Rochelle and Marvin Humes
On Easter Sunday, Rochelle and Marvin announced they're due to welcome their third child into the world - a baby boy.
3 of 7Michelle Hardwick and Kate Brooks
Just six months after marrying soap boss Kate Brooks, Emmerdale actress Michelle Hardwick - aka Vanessa Woodford - has announced she's pregnant with their first child.
4 of 7Billi Mucklow and Andy Carroll
TOWIE star Billi Mucklow and her footballer husband Andy Carroll are due to welcome their third child into the world later this year.
5 of 7Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
In her music video for Never Worn White, Katy Perry announced she's pregnant with her first child. Her fiancé is already a dad to Flynn from his previous marriage to Miranda Kerr.
6 of 7Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews
Vogue Williams and hubby Spencer Matthews announced they'll welcome their second child into the world later this year.
7 of 7Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble
Former TOWIE stars Sam Mucklow and Shelby Tribble announced that they were expecting in May 2020. However, eagle-eyed fans had already rumbled the pair when Shelby posed in a maternity tracksuit a few weeks earlier.
The Cilla actress is one of the UK’s most celebrated performers, but her success has been affected by her mental ill health struggles, which were seemingly magnified when her dad was diagnosed with cancer. At the time, she was starring in the West End production of Funny Girl and missed a run of performances.
She then lashed out at critics, audience members and the press in numerous drunken tweets, which – years later – she said she still regrets. “I was running away from a lot, straight to the bottom of a bottle. I was trying to get out of my own head,” the actress explained in 2018. “That’s when I did all those stupid things, like Twitter. I just made bad decisions.”
In recent years, she’s seemed happier and healthier, especially since getting together with her fiancé Jamie Horn. And despite hitting the headlines over Christmas when she raged about her future in-laws on Twitter – telling fans, “You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your therapist. In-laws, eh? Merry f**king Xmas” – we’re told she’s finally feeling settled. Nowadays, Sheridan is aware of where her triggers lie, and she’s seeking support, rather than drowning her sorrows.
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“She knows her temper can get the better of her, which is why she’s lashed out in the past,” says our source. “But she’s told friends that she’s never experienced this kind of love before, and it’s really helped after her dad’s passing. Sheridan is determined never to go down that path again.”
As for her career, we’re told the performer – who won rave reviews earlier this month for her role in ITV’s Isolation Stories – “still wants to have work projects in the pipeline”. But for now, her priority is being the best mum she can be. “She is loving the time at home with the baby and Jamie,” our source reveals. “This really is a new beginning.”
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