Sheridan Smith is set to return to Gavin & Stacey for the final ever episode, according to reports.
The 43-year-old actress – who previously dated her co-star and creator James Corden – portrayed the role of Rudi in the BBC comedy. Her character played a prominent role in the show throughout all three series as Smithy’s younger sister.
But fans were surprised when the Two Pints of Larger star failed to return to the festive special in 2019. Despite her absence during the previous special, it appears as though the actor will return for the grand finale set to air this Christmas.
READ MORE:Gavin and Stacey set for behind-the-scenes documentary marking final episode
READ MORE: Click for more brilliant Daily Star TV stories
Speaking to The Sun, a source revealed: “She is an incredible actress and stepped straight back into Rudi’s shoes. It was like no time had passed at all. Sheridan was over the moon she could go back into the fold and her scenes are brilliant.”
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Paramount+)
Sheridan famously dated the Late Late Show host between 2007 and 2009. At the time, the Essex native branded the blonde bombshell as the “love of his life”. Following their split, James turned to partying as his life fell into a downward spiral.
Speaking to The Times, he confessed: “I was heartbroken and lost. I’d had a relationship with Sheridan which was heartbreaking, when you think something might work and it doesn’t.
“And I felt a bit lost. And feeling lost, and feeling heartbroken, and feeling for the first time in your adult life, at the very moment when you become a little bit famous, is quite a potent mix.”
(Image: Getty Images)
However, the TV star quickly bounced back from his heartache after he met his future wife Julia, a charity worker, one year later. It didn’t take long before feud rumours between Sheridan and James sparked in the lead up to the 2019 Christmas special.
In the run up to filming, Sheridan was probed about her possible appearance in the one-off episode. She revealed to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2: “I wish. No, I’m not going to be in it. I don’t think, anyway.”
Thankfully, it appears as though the pair have worked through their differences for the grand finale which will hit the airwaves later this year. But fans will be surprised to know that their first Christmas special almost didn’t happen.
(Image: BBC)
In 2019, James and Ruth committed their ideas to paper, crafting the script over FaceTime. But once completed, they quickly realised that it was “absolutely awful”. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Ruth, who plays Nessa in the show, recalled the moment she nearly called it quits.
She told the outlet: “When we did our first read-through it just wasn’t working. We stopped everything. It was a horrible feeling… it felt absolutely awful.
“We both had to admit it was over. So we sat down to dinner with our partners after making the decision to stop.” However, in an unexpected twist of fate, that the conversation sparked a creative breakthrough, leading to an outpouring of emotion.
(Image: BBC/GS TV Productions Ltd/Tom Jackson)
She explained: “Within two or three hours, we’d worked up that exact pedestrian conversation into this perfect Gavin and Stacey scene. Then James started crying because it was a completely unexpected breakthrough and it was just perfect. I cried too.
She concluded: “It was very emotional because somehow we’d got it back. We knew we could make it happen. And then bang! we were on a roll. Everything just worked and we had that spark back.”
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
