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She’s the daughter of a one-time power couple of Coronation Street, so it’s little surprise that Scarlett Thomas duly found her feet on TV. She might not be treading the cobblestones of Weatherfield as her parents Ryan Thomas and Tina O’Brien once did, but she did land a part in Waterloo Road – and with no small help from her wider family.
The 2023 reboot of the BBC drama featured two of the Thomas clan: her uncle Adam (who played her father) and cousin Teddy (her on-screen brother). Even mum Tina appeared in the original Waterloo Road in 2010. So Scarlett was following in very familiar footsteps.
But now, just days after turning 18, I can reveal that she is set to cut the nepo-baby apron strings and turn her back on acting. Having released her first single last month, Scarlett wants to carve out a career in music – and her cringeworthy dad and uncle are collateral damage of her decision.
For several years now Adam and Ryan have featured Scarlett on their podcast, At Home With The Thomas Bros, and in their dreadful pranks on TikTok.
Some have even accused the brothers – who have a combined following of almost five million across social media – of using Scarlett to increase their own profiles. Now, she wants out.
A source says: ‘Scarlett’s family have done well for themselves thanks to reality TV, but she hopes to become well known for her music around the world – and not just as Adam Thomas’s niece or Ryan’s daughter. So they have gone, she has peeled away from them.’
Scarlett Thomas celebrated turning 18 two days ago and wants to turn her back on acting and become known for her music - not just as Adam Thomas’s niece or Ryan Thomas’s daughter
Scarlett with her father Ryan. She last posted a picture of him on Instagram in November 2024, at her birthday celebration at the opulent Louis chain of restaurants in Manchester
Such is the split that to find a post featuring Ryan, you have to scroll to the bottom of Scarlett’s Instagram profile to November 2024.
‘Anyone could see how much the brothers loved having Scarlett on their show and it got them much more traction,’ added the source. ‘But they are barely anywhere to be seen on her social media, posts celebrating her family connections have gone.’
It seems a long time ago that her dad and uncle were criticised for dancing with a then 16-year-old Scarlett dressed in an ‘inappropriate’ crop top for a TikTok video. The 2025 row didn’t deter either Thomas, and she first appeared on their podcast last January.
‘There was a time, early in her career where she would join in with them and their antics,’ says my source, who adds intriguingly that ‘perhaps she’s used their following to grow her own’.
Indeed, despite her father laying on an 18th birthday celebration earlier this week at the opulent Louis chain of restaurants in Manchester, neither he nor her uncles and their partners appeared on her social media. The only person in her snaps from the night was herself.
Scarlett's single-mindedness could be seen in her announcement two years ago – using a secondary TikTok account, @notme – that she had moved to London alone, aged just 16, to chase a career in lights.
Elsewhere, Scarlett’s feeds are filled with singing, dancing and recording music, alongside snapshots of her travels and time spent on stage. Her best friend, fellow actor and influencer Summer Bird also features.
But anything more private crosses a line for Scarlett, who some have suggested feels the pressure and scrutiny that comes with being both a nepo baby and social media star.
In July, speculation surrounding her reported relationship with December 10 singer Josh Olliver, 17, sent TikTok into a frenzy after influencer Phoebe Prentice posted a 15-minute video accusing Scarlett of getting too close to her boyfriend.
The alleged love triangle sparked a fierce debate online.
Friends of Josh told me at the time they were ‘absolutely furious’, and accused Phoebe of capitalising on his profile as a popstar and Scarlett’s famous connections.
Since then, Scarlett appears to have distanced herself from Josh, unfollowing him on social media.
A source said: ‘After all that drama earlier this year, Scarlett can’t risk anything jeopardising her public image while she’s trying to launch herself into such a competitive industry as music.
‘She doesn’t follow Josh or anyone similar and is keeping her circle very small.
‘Scarlett’s done the right thing. Josh is in a boyband and had already messed the two girls around. The last thing she needs is a feud when she’s young and at the start of her career.’
If her dad and uncle’s podcast were a casualty of her new direction, then Waterloo Road might be its second, for I can reveal that her future on the BBC drama is uncertain.
She joined the reboot in 2023 as 14-year-old Izzy Charles, with her proud mum Tina, 43, announcing the news on Instagram: ‘Very excited to finally be able to announce that my gorgeous, lovely, talented Scarlett Thomas will be in the new series of Waterloo Road #proudmum.’
Scarlett joined the reboot of Waterloo Road in 2023 as 14-year-old Izzy Charles and uncle Adam played her father, but she hasn’t been confirmed for series 20 and beyond
Six series later, however, there is no guarantee she will continue.
Series 18, which has already been filmed, is due to premiere in January and sees Scarlett involved in typically chaotic storylines, including drunken scenes and collapsing in the street.
While it is unknown whether Scarlett will be featuring in series 19, production company Multitude Media told me this week that she hasn’t been confirmed for series 20 and beyond. Five new students, however, have already been cast.
Whether that was her decision or the show’s remains to be seen, but her music career is gathering pace.
Having raised eyebrows earlier in the year by revealing she had skipped her GCSEs in pursuit of pop stardom, she released her debut single, Onesies, in September.
The music video was filmed entirely on her iPhone and featured Scarlett and Summer touring the streets of Manchester at night in their onesies. It was an independent, low-budget launch and having uploaded the track to Spotify and Apple Music herself, it has already attracted over 100,000 listens.
Currently signed to independent label Big Family Music, Scarlett is understood to have ambitions of securing a deal with a major music group, such as Universal or Warner, which could give her the platform to reach a global audience.
‘Scarlett is a woman with a plan, and she can do it without her dad and uncle,’ adds a source.
OnlyFans star to trademark her name
Lily Phillips has applied to trademark her name for merchandise ranging from clothing and cosmetics
I can reveal OnlyFans star Lily Phillips is plotting to go mainstream after applying to trademark her name, following a lucrative year in which her X-rated antics earned her almost £24,000 a week.
The 25-year-old, who infamously had sex with 101 men in a single day, has applied to trademark ‘Lily Phillips’ for merchandise ranging from clothing and cosmetics to podcasts and brand ambassador deals.
Her company, Lily Phillips Ltd, has lodged the application with the Intellectual Property Office, potentially paving the way for her own lifestyle ranges and lucrative partnerships with mainstream brands.
The move comes as newly published accounts reveal her firm banked over £1.2million in profit, equivalent to nearly £3,400 a day. Her bumper year included her notorious YouTube documentary, I Slept With 100 Men In One Day, released in late 2024.
Business is booming so much that Lily has hired her first member of staff to help manage her raunchy empire.
Her success comes despite her parents’ public concerns about her career. Appearing on Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over last August, mum Emma and dad Lindsay tearfully expressed their hopes that she would quit OnlyFans, with Lindsay saying he would change her profession overnight if he could.
Pumpkin patch responds to influencer's criticism
Suffolk Pumpkin Patch responded to influencer Alex Dodman's comments on the seasonal attraction being the ‘most depressing in the UK’
The organiser of a pumpkin patch has hit back at a social media influencer who branded it the ‘most depressing in the UK’.
Suffolk Pumpkin Patch, in Barton Mills, promised ‘fields full of pumpkins and memories to last a lifetime’ when it opened on October 2. But the Halloween event was criticised by influencer Alex Dodman, who has more than 500,000 followers, in a video shared across his social media accounts.
The family behind the attraction said they had tried their ‘very hardest’ to make it a success, despite some pumpkins being smashed, adding they had received ‘a lot of good feedback and only a small amount of bad’.
‘The guy in question is comparing us to large-scale events that have been going for more than ten years,’ they said. ‘We’re a family-of-three and pleased with what we’ve achieved, and we have seen lots of smiles and laughter. We guarantee to come back bigger and better next year.’
Dodman, who describes himself as the ‘home of real reviews’, criticised the decorations as ‘questionable’, claiming ‘nothing seems to work’. He also compared the attraction to the notorious 2024 Glasgow Willy Wonka experience, which went viral after visitors arrived to find a handful of Wonka-related props in an otherwise largely empty warehouse.
UP
The London Fields jousting duel creators are raising money for charity this weekend
The creators behind the viral London Fields jousting duel are organising a second event, LBJ2, this weekend to raise money for charity. Artist Jack Carden and actor ‘Camtholomew’ became internet sensations after videos of their medieval-style showdown attracted millions of views, with one clip on Carden’s Instagram surpassing four million. Hundreds gathered last weekend to watch the pair joust on e-bikes, despite Lime warning that its bikes are ‘not for jousting’ and that ‘safety must always come first’.
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Sam Faiers has been using her daughter, 8, to promote collagen products on social media
Sam Faiers has been getting some stick online for using her daughter to promote her collagen products. Eight-year-old Rosie dances in nearly every video of the former TOWIE star taking the collagen sachets.
Some fans have also pointed out how Faiers doesn’t even seem to swallow the oral gel. ‘Is business that bad that you’re having to use your daughter?’ one comment reads. Another says: ‘I think your videos may be doing the opposite. I don’t think anyone wants to buy them anymore because of the way you are advertising, it’s putting people off.’
New besties? Kim Turnbull and Jackie Apostel are stepping out together, attending celebrity events as the Beckham family’s not-quite sisters-in-law.
The pair appear to be forging their own friendship, painting the town red while their Beckham boyfriends take a back seat. And with another sister-in-law now estranged from the family, surely this will soon be closer than ever?
Influencer Olivia Neil has teamed up with cult fashion brand Peachy Den for a 20-piece collection of wardrobe essentials. Announced with a Sex And The City-inspired video, ‘Peachy & Olivia: A collaboration for the girls’ features jeans, going-out tops, date-night dresses and jackets, with each piece named after someone special to Olivia. Available October 28.
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