CHESTER has been the home of numerous families throughout the decades.
But only a handful are perhaps as iconic as the Cunninghams who settled in Hollyoaks prior to the soap’s first episode.
The Cunninghams are one of Hollyoaks’ original families
The Cunninghams are one of the eponymous village’s original families.
Some of its members have withstood the test of time and have remained in Hollyoaks despite the turmoil they’ve endured.
Who is part of the clan?
Gordon was the Cunningham patriarch
Gordon Cunningham
Gordon Cunningham was one of Hollyoaks’ original residents and was portrayed by Bernard Latham.
A father of five, Gordon was married twice during his life, with his first bride Angela giving birth to Dawn, Jude, Max and Cindy.
His second wife Helen, whom he married in 1999, gave birth to his youngest son, Tom.
Gordon succumbed to a heart attack after being involved in a car crash in 2004.
Bernard Latham was famous for two other roles in soap land as he played John Steele and Harry Slinger in rival ITV show Coronation Street between 1989 and 1992.
He also appeared in series The Practice, Mothers Ruin and September Song.
Dawn was the oldest of the Cunningham siblings
Dawn Cunningham
Lisa Williamson was chosen for the role of Dawn Cunningham, Gordon and Helen’s oldest daughter.
She was one of the original members of the family when the soap began in 1995.
Dawn died in December, 1997, from leukaemia, on the same day that her niece Holly Cunningham was born.
Since leaving the program, Lisa has appeared in the series Dream Team.
The 43-year-old also appeared in numerous adverts for several beauty brands.
Max was good friends with O.B
Max Cunningham
Actor and director Matt Littler joined Hollyoaks as Max Cunningham after taking over from Ben Sheriff in 1997.
Max was a fan favourite and viewers followed his antics with his friend Sam “O.B” O’Brien closely.
The pair were joined at the hip but their friendship was put to the test on numerous occasions, including during Max’s relationship with Clare Devine.
Max went on to be romantically involved with Steph Dean but he was fatally struck on his wedding day by the car of his drunken rival Niall Rafferty in 2008.
Since leaving Hollyoaks, Matt and O.B actor Darren Jeffries remained pals and ran a production company together called Little Jeff Productions.
Matt is also a vocal coach and his voice was used in various Game Of Thrones video games.
Jude was involved in a life of crime
Jude Cunningham
Jude first appeared in Hollyoaks in March, 1996, and was portrayed by actress Davinia Taylor.
A fierce party animal, Jude returned to living with her family after spending years living in London.
She chose to study fashion at Riverbank College and was increasingly unimpressed with her mother Angela’s boyfriend Terry Williams, as was her older sister Dawn.
Throughout her time in Hollyoaks, she was involved in a love triangle with Michael St John Thomas and her friend Maddie Parker which resulted in his death when he became obsessed with the latter.
After working as an escort to make ends meet, Jude turned to a life of crime and had to go on the run for several years while using Dawn’s passport.
In 2000, she tied the knot with Damien Windsor but she was still unable to attend many family events due to the risk of her being arrested upon her return to the UK.
Her marriage eventually collapsed and Jude was finally able to return to Hollyoaks when she married a “Mr Windsor.”
She was seen again in the village in 2016 under the name Mrs Windsor-Davenport.
This allowed her to rekindle her relationship with her last-remaining sister, Cindy, and meet her long-lost half-brother Tom.
Jude fled Hollyoaks once again after putting a scam together with a blissfully unaware Cindy, leaving money behind for her family.
Cindy has been portrayed by two different actresses
Cindy Cunningham
Cynthia “Cindy” Cunningham was portrayed by Laura Crossley from 1995 to 1996 before actress Stephanie Waring took over the role.
A teenaged Cindy slept with Lee “Stan” Stanley after forgetting to take her contraceptive pill and gave birth to a daughter in the office of Got It Taped.
She tried to abandon the baby but was soon caught up with the truth when she developed an infection after giving birth.
Her father Gordon retrieved the baby from hospital and the infant was named Holly.
Sadly, Cindy developed post-natal depression and tried to get rid of Holly before attempting to suffocate her.
She eventually made peace with motherhood and began to accept Holly.
Cindy was involved in plenty of dramatic storylines, including an abusive relationship with Sean Tate.
She left the village in 2000, joining her sister Jude in Spain, where she worked as a stripper.
Cindy came back to Hollyoaks in 2008 before leaving two years later.
She returned once again in 2011 on a permanent basis.
Throughout her time in Hollyoaks, Cindy was married to Tony Hutchinson, Alistair Longford, Mac Nightingale and Dirk Savage.
Holly has two half-siblings as a result – Alfie Nightingale and Hilton Cunningham.
Holly is Cindy’s oldest child
Holly Cunningham
The daughter of Cindy Cunningham and the late Lee Stanley, Holly has had a troubled start to life.
Her father was killed in a car accident two months before her birth and her mother even tried to kill her, as mentioned above.
Much like the other members of her family, Holly was embroiled in huge storylines which include a relationship with Jason Roscoe and an affair with his brother Robbie.
Holly was portrayed by several actresses throughout the years including Karis Sharkey, Wallis Day, Lydia Waters and Amanda Clapham.
She left Hollyoaks for the final time in 2019 and is said to be living in Paris.
Gordon was married to Helen
Helen Cunningham
Helen Cunningham was the wife of Gordon Cunningham and first arrived in Hollyoaks in 1997.
She was portrayed by Kathryn George and was killed off in a car accident in 2004.
Kathryn George had multiple stints in soap land as she starred in two rival ITV shows.
She played a shop assistant in Emmerdale between 1995 and 1998 and was also seen in a 2005 episode of Coronation Street.
Tom is the youngest of Gordon’s children
Tom Cunningham
While he is the biological son of Helen and Gordon Cunningham, Tom was raised by Frankie and Jack Osborne.
He has been portrayed by actor Ellis Hollins since 2003.
Before landing on Frankie and Jack’s doorstep, Tom was handed over to multiple guardians, including his half-brother Max, his last wife Steph Dean and his maternal half-sister Mandy Richardson.
By 2014, Tom was involved with Peri Lomax and she gave birth to a daughter they named Steph Cunningham-Lomax, after Steph Dean who died of cancer while she was taking care of Tom.
Tom grew accustomed to life in Hollyoaks and its many ups and downs – he even managed to find a friend in the form of his nephew Alfie Nightingale.
More recently, he grew close and developed romantic feelings for Yasmine Maalik, whom he supported when her family were targerted by far-right leaders Stuart Sumner and Jonny Baxter.
The pair married during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and their union has often been put to the test, most notably when Tom kissed Cher McQueen.
Tom and Yasmine have remained strong despite this and have even started renting rooms of their house to their friends.
Who else is in the Cunningham family?
Some members of the Cunningham clan have only appeared briefly in the village. These include:
- Bethany Cunningham – the daughter of Dawn and Jack Osborne.
- Alfie Nightingale – biological son of Cindy and adoptive son of Marnie Nightingale.
- Hilton Cunningham – son of Cindy, biological son of Paul Browning and adoptive son of Dirk Savage.
- Steph Cunningham-Lomax – daughter of Tom and Peri Lomax.
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