11 December 2023 , 19:00
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Away from her hugely successful acting career, Suranne Jones is a mum-of-one and beloved wife.
The second series of Vigil returned to screens last night with detectives Amy Silva and Kirsten Longacre investigating more mysterious deaths. The Scottish-based show entranced BBC viewers with its first series and now the action has shifted from the Navy to the RAF with leading actor Suranne reprising her role as DCI Silva.
The 43-year-old star has become a familiar face on our screens, initially winning fans over with her breakthrough role in Coronation Street, before going on to star in the likes of Doctor Foster and Gentleman Jack. But what do we know about Suranne's life off-screen? Here, we take a look at her family and inspiration.
Suranne heartbreakingly lost her mum Jenny to dementia in 2016 (Manchester Evening News)
She has been married to husband Laurence since 2014 and they share a son (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Sty)Suranne was born in Chadderton, Greater Manchester, in 1978 and had a "happy and working class" upbringing. Unlike her academically gifted older brother who went to university, Suranne got into acting after joining a theatre workshop and went on to complete a diploma in Performing Arts.
Raised as a Catholic, she was christened Sarah Anne, however, when she registered her name with her actors' union, it was already taken. Therefore her father, an engineer, suggested she go by her grandmother's name, Suranne, for the stage.
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The actor has a seven-year-old son with her husband of four years, magazine editor and scriptwriter Laurence Akers. The couple met in 2013 at the wedding of Suranne's close friend and Coronation Street co-star, Sally Lindsay, and got married the following year in Islington. They are currently thought to be living in North London.
The same year Suranne gave birth in 2016, she sadly lost her mother Jenny, following a heartbreaking battle with dementia. Suranne credits her mum for inspiring her to follow her dreams and pursue a career in acting. Last year, she opened up to the Mirror: "There are different icons [in my life]. I had a lot of women in my family, my mum and her sisters, who were always very strong women in different ways, good Northern women."
She continued: "My mum was very shy but with a real strength of character underneath, which I'm hoping to share with my son." The actress, who has been candid about the devastating impact her mum's death has had on her, added: "She's not with us anymore, but I think of her often. I had a really good relationship with my mother."
And in an interview with the Guardian, Suranne opened up about having to 'rewire' her whole relationship with her mum as she sadly stopped recognising her. She explained: "There’s still a connection, only it’s very different. And meanwhile your whole being is saying: but this is my mum. There was a good five years of that. And then you lose them for real and you have to grieve again."
Tragically, Suranne also lost her dad after he contracted coronavirus during the pandemic. The star has been involved with numerous charities over the years, including Christian Aid, Alzheimer's Society and Penny Brohn UK, a cancer charity. She once travelled to Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo to help with projects concerning HIV, women's rights and child soldiers.