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Samia Longchambon
Samia Ghadie, previously Samia Smith at Manchester Pride parade, 2011.jpg
Ghadie in 2011
Born
Samia Maxine Ghadie

(1982-07-13) 13 July 1982 (age 43)
Nationality English
Occupation Actress
Years active 1992–present
Employer ITV
Television
Spouse(s)
Matt Smith
(m. 2005; div. 2011)
Sylvain Longchambon
(m. 2016)
Children 2

Samia Maxine Longchambon (born July 13, 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2000. A soap opera is a TV show about the daily lives of a group of people.

Samia has also appeared on other popular TV shows. In 2013, she competed on the celebrity skating show Dancing on Ice. In 2023, she showed off her cooking skills and won the competition Cooking with the Stars.

Early Life and Family

Samia Ghadie was born in Eccles, a town in Greater Manchester, England. Her father, Joseph, was a shop owner from a French-Lebanese family. Her mother, Patsy, is an English actress. Her parents met in Abu Dhabi, and Samia lived there for a while as a child. She has an older brother named Tariq.

In 2009, Samia's father, Joseph, sadly passed away from cancer.

Acting Career

Starting Out

Samia's acting career began when she was very young. At just eight years old, she was an extra in an episode of Coronation Street. An extra is someone who appears in the background of a scene. Her first role with a credit was at age 11 in the TV show Cracker.

She also had small parts in other shows like Children's Ward, Heartbeat, and Doctors. She even appeared in a movie called There's Only One Jimmy Grimble.

Coronation Street

In 2000, Samia landed her most famous role. She was chosen to play Maria Sutherland (now Maria Connor) in Coronation Street. She beat out other famous people, like Suzanne Shaw and Kimberley Walsh, for the part. She has been a regular on the show ever since.

In 2009, she took a break from the show to have her first child. She returned to her role as Maria in May 2010.

Other TV Appearances

Besides acting, Samia has been on several reality and game shows.

  • She won an episode of Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes by performing as the singer Holly Valance.
  • In 2013, she competed on the eighth series of Dancing on Ice. Her partner was professional ice skater Sylvain Longchambon. She was eliminated in the eighth week of the show.
  • In 2023, Samia won the third series of Cooking with the Stars, proving she is a great cook.

Personal Life

In 2005, Samia married Matt Smith. They had a daughter named Freya in 2009. The couple announced their separation in 2011 and later divorced. After the divorce, Samia started using her maiden name, Ghadie, again.

While competing on Dancing on Ice, Samia met her skating partner, Sylvain Longchambon. They announced their engagement in May 2015 and got married in August 2016. They have a son together, Yves Joseph Longchambon, who was born in September 2015.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
1996 Bob's Weekend Kimberley's friend
2000 There's Only One Jimmy Grimble Sara

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Coronation Street Extra Episode: 3482
1994 Cracker Rosie Episode: "The Big Crunch: Part 1"
1995 Children's Ward Charlotte 2 episodes
1997–1998 Adam's Family Tree Jane Main role; 13 episodes
1997, 2000 Heartbeat Maddy; Sian Horrocks 2 episodes
1999 The Cops Emma Hayes Series 2: Episode 9
2000 Life Force Marianne Episode: "Age Before Beauty"
Doctors Kelly Morris Episode: "Game Over"
2000–present Coronation Street Maria Connor Series regular
2003 TV Burp Series 2: Episode 1
Children in Need 1 episode
2010 Bookaboo Unnamed Episode: "A Visitor for Bear"
2013 Dancing on Ice Herself Contestant (5th place)
2018 Big Star's Little Star Herself Participant
2023 Cooking with the Stars Herself Contestant; winner

Awards and Nominations

Here are some of the awards Samia has won or been nominated for.

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2006 Inside Soap Awards Best Dressed Soap Star Won
2008 Inside Soap Awards Best Actress Nominated
2009 British Soap Awards Best Actress Nominated
2013 All About Soap Awards Forbidden Lovers (shared with Charlie Condou) Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Samia Smith para niños

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