Sheridan Smith reveals jaw-dropping tattoo transformation for latest TV role - see pictures
Sheridan Smith revealed she regretted having tattoos whilst filming the thriller series, The Castaways, as she had to spend three hours a day having her ink covered by waterproof makeup.
The 43-year-old has multiple tattoos, including the words "Daddy's Girl" on one forearm, "C'est la vie" on the other and floral designs on her upper arms, but had to cover them up to play Lori, a plane crash survivor stranded on a desert island, in the five-part series, which recently arrived on Channel 5.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com back in 2023, when the series first premiered on Paramount+, Sheridan said: "Normally I can get away with cardigans or long-sleeve shirts, but wrecked on a tropical island… I had a call three hours before anyone else.
"I couldn't use my usual stuff to cover them up, it had to be waterproof! So three people were dabbing away to cover it all. I never regretted my tats so much – I'll never have another one. Actors – just don't do it!" she continued, before sharing her hopes that her son Billy will avoid getting inked when he's older. "I hope I've put Billy [her son] off tattoos for life," she said.
Sheridan got many of her tattoos during a "wobble" back in 2016 prompted by her father's cancer diagnosis. At the time, Sheridan temporarily withdrew from the musical Funny Girl due to stress, exhaustion and dealing with her father's illness.
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She previously told the BBC: "I had a wobble, covered myself in a tattoos. I lost a lot of confidence around that time, but it has come back thankfully, due to friends and supportive people."
Reflecting on the difficult period, she told the Daily Telegraph: "I just covered myself. I've got more down my sides and my legs. And now I've gone back to work. What an idiot."
Later, the Gavin and Stacey star said: "The reason I got all these tattoos was because I thought no one was ever going to give me a job again… you are not meant to have body markings in the theatre. It was my way of self-destructing but giving myself a reason for it. My mum went berserk."
The Castaways follows sisters Lori and Erin (Celine Buckens) whose trip of a lifetime in Fiji quickly turns into a nightmare. After a huge argument, Erin decides to skip the holiday and Lori boards the plane alone – but the flight never makes it to its destination.
The synopsis continues: "Months later, no wreckage has been found, no survivors discovered. With the search abandoned, Erin remains a lone, desperate voice refusing to give up hope. Suddenly, Lori's credit card is used in a corner shop in a remote village in Fiji. On the CCTV, Erin recognises the plane's pilot back from the dead. She immediately sets out from the UK to find him and discover the mystery of her sister's fate.
"Jumping between the two sisters' perspectives, we follow Erin's present-day investigation and Lori's struggle for survival following the crash onto a tropical and remote desert island. As dark secrets are revealed both in the past and present day, each shocking twist and turn slowly reveals the truth about what happened to Lori and her fellow passengers - a truth that someone on the island will kill to keep secret."
The Castaways is available to watch on Channel 5.
