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Entertainment
Kyle O'Sullivan & Siobhan Macdonald

Sheridan Smith left James Corden 'heartbroken' but he flirted with famous singer

Sheridan Smith has stunned fans in her role as worried mum Kathy in ITV drama No Return, but it's not always her acting that hits the headlines.

Sheridan rose to fame starring in hit shows like The Royle Family, Gavin and Stacey and Benidorm before becoming a household name.

As well as her amazing acting credits, the 40-year-old actress often hits the headlines for her love life including her relationship with Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden.

The duo starred as on-screen siblings on the hit show, where he played loveable fool Smithy and Sheridan his copycat sister Rudi.

As reported in The Mirror, Sheridan may not have been a regular cast member but her select few scenes were memorable, including Smithy and Rudi wrestling to the ground and doing the Kanye West rap from the hit Estelle song American Boy.

The happy couple split for the first time in 2008, not long before rumours started to emerge James was pursuing singer Lily Allen.

Sheridan Smith attends The BRIT Awards 2021 (Getty Images)

James had been accused of flirting with Lily while he was being interviewed on her BBC chat show, Lily Allen and Friends.

When asked if he was single, James cryptically replied: "It's complicated."

He told Lily how "lovely" he thought she was before telling her "to ignore all those people right there" while pointing to the audience.

Responding, Lily jokingly told James to "just f**k her".

Sheridan Smith and James Corden in Gavin and Stacey (BBC)

This prompted cheers from the audience, while Lily said: "Thank you very much… that is how you get into a girl’s pants. Well done, James."

She then asked the late night chat show host if he was single, to which he gave the mysterious "complicated" answer.

In 2017, Lily stated that she didn't want to shut James down when he "came on to" her for fear of being labelled "cold" or "snobbish".

James tried to start a romance with Lily, but claimed they never got any further than being pals.

"I guess I went out with Lily four or five times in total after that - and not once was it a proper date. It always seemed to involve other people and not just the two of us," he said in 2011.

"I made it my aim to make Lily mine. I guess we were friends but, for my part, I definitely wanted more than that. The last time I went to her place was when the reality dawned on me."

Lily let James stay over at her house and led him to the spare room, so James realised they were only destined to be friends.

He added: "So I want to thank Lily for sparing a lovesick fool that kind of embarrassment."

In a shock twist, James made a U-turn and got back with Sheridan the following February.

"Yes, Sheridan and I are back together and it’s going brilliantly," he told The Mirror in 2008, declaring her the "love of my life".

And wedding bells were set to ring as he added: "I couldn’t be happier. I want to marry my girl."

However, marriage couldn't have been further from Sheridan's mind as she had completely different ideas.

Sheridan Smith and James Corden in Gavin and Stacey (PA)

Years later, the actress said: "I was a lot wilder back then. I wasn't someone who was in a frame of mind of settling down."

The former couple ended up splitting for good in 2009 and James admitted he started partying heavily and feared his life was spiralling out of control.

"I was heartbroken and lost," he told The Times.

"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 single for the first time in your adult life, at the very moment when you become a little bit famous, is quite a potent mix."

Less than 12 months later, James met charity worker Julia Carey through his actor pal and The History Boys co-star Dominic Copper.

The couple got married in 2012 and have three children together - Max, Carey and Charlotte.

Meanwhile Sheridan got engaged to insurance broker Jamie Horn after meeting on dating app Tinder and gave birth to son Billy in May 2020.

But the former couple announced they had split last year and Sheridan reunited with ex-boyfriend Alex Lawler.

As for James and Sheridan, the actress explained that she still cares about the US talk show host.

Seemingly confirmed there is no hostility on her side, she recently said: "I'm not in touch with James - he lives in America. If I saw him here, we'd hug.

"I've got a lot of love for him but we don't see each other."

But Gavin and Stacey fans did question why Sheridan did not make an appearance in the long-awaited Christmas special in 2019.

Most of the original cast reunited in 2019 to film the long-waited Christmas special - but Sheridan was a notable absentee

Asked if she was going to be in it, the pregnant star told Radio 2's Zoe Ball: "I wish. No, I’m not going to be in it. I don’t think, anyway."

Her character Rudi did not feature in the highly-anticipated festive edition of the BBC comedy, which was a massive hit with viewers, but Sheridan cleared thins up on social media.

She later added: "I was only ever in 4 episodes. Why would they need to bring me back? There is no drama between me & James. And no story. Chill out! In other news... happy Wednesday."

But Sheridan admitted she would jump at the chance to return to the series and would embrace James if they saw each other again.

"I'd definitely come back for a series," she told The Sun in March 2020.

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