Coronation Street favourite Sam Blakeman is right at the heart of a huge storyline on the cobbles at the moment, with viewers watching his mental health struggles take a devastating turn. But away from Weatherfield drama, just how old is actor Jude Riordan?
The young star has been heavily featured in recent episodes as Sam’s situation continues to worsen following the fallout from Will and Megan’s relationship. And while Sam’s life on screen has become increasingly upsetting, Jude has been celebrating a much happier milestone off screen.
Sam’s hallucinations in Coronation Street
Sam Blakeman’s mental health battle has become one of Coronation Street’s most emotional storylines in recent weeks, with the teenager struggling to tell the difference between reality and hallucinations.
After trying to cope alone for some time, those closest to him have finally started to realise the severity of what he’s going through. Things escalated after Sam believed he had seen Will Driscoll at school before later spotting him again at the Red Rec.
During the frightening encounter, Will accused Sam of ruining his life by exposing his relationship with Megan, leaving Sam panicked and distressed enough to smash his telescope as he fled.
But viewers soon learned there was a major twist. Will had never been there at all, as he was actually travelling to Paris to see Megan at the time.
Scenes became even more heartbreaking when Sam appeared to fight Will in the ginnel, only for it to become clear he had actually been fighting nobody during another hallucination.
This week’s episodes also saw Sam learn that Megan was pleading not guilty, meaning there would be a trial and he could potentially be called to give evidence. Feeling overwhelmed, Sam later became convinced Nick and Toyah were ashamed of him, tearfully admitting that he felt completely alone.
How old is Coronation Street star Jude Riordan?
With Sam currently taking centre stage in such a major storyline, plenty of fans have been curious about Jude Riordan’s real age.
On screen, Sam Blakeman is 15 years old, having been born in April 2011.
In real life, Jude is almost exactly the same age as his character. The actor celebrated his 15th birthday in May 2026, just a month after Sam’s birthday.
Jude marked the occasion on May 11 by sharing a glimpse of his celebrations with fans on Instagram.
Although he spent part of the day filming scenes on the Coronation Street set, Jude still found time to celebrate between takes as he blew out the candles on his birthday cake.
Posting a video online, he wrote: “I mean a Bistro birthday is worth working on your birthday! Thank you for all my birthday messages and thank you to one of my most favourite people @realgeorgiataylor for my surprise.”
Read more: Coronation Street opinion: Soap losing balance as villains dominate
Coronation Street usually airs Monday-Friday at 8.30pm on ITV.
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