Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas has leapt to his daughter’s defence after she skipped sitting her GCSEs.
Ryan, 41, shares daughter Scarlett, 16, with his former Corrie co-star Tina O’Brien and their teenager is already an aspiring actor in the making.
She’s already appeared in BBC’s Waterloo Road playing Izzy, the daughter of her real-life uncle Adam Thomas, already boasts over 204,000 followers on TikTok and has been projected to make more than £2,000,000 before she turns 18.
She recently posted a video on TikTok along with the caption: ‘I’m watching everyone get there [sic] GCSE results today wondering if I could’ve had good results but I will forever wonder.’
The post sparked a mix of concern and anger from critics. Some said it was ‘unacceptable’ Scarlett wouldn’t sit her exams like the majority of 16-year-olds, while one person noted: ‘Nothing to be proud of not doing them. Doing them gives you something to fall back on if you fail.’
Her defensive dad was among those in the comments, blasting anyone criticising Scarlett. He wrote: ‘Is it even anyone’s business or concern though?’
In England it is not illegal to sit out of GCSEs. Under the Education Act of 1996, students are free to leave formal education once they turn 16 and pursue other careers or qualifications.
Scarlett has made it known she intends to follow in her family’s footsteps for stardom and has made no apologies for her nepotism.
She previously clapped back at critics for taking acting jobs so young, as if she’s the first teenager to act.
When someone wrote: ‘You only got those opportunities because of your family’, she hit back: ‘God forbid a girl takes the chances she gets.’
Ryan previously defended her entry into the industry, telling The Sun: ‘Everyone thinks she gets a lift up from family, getting on Waterloo Road.
‘But she worked damn hard to get that job, and people need to recognise that she’s a talented girl – she’s up against other people and she’s not getting a free ride.’
He added: ‘She has to go through the same process as everyone else – it was between her and somebody else. It wasn’t like, ‘This is a Thomas, she’s going to get this job”.
