STRICT EMBARGO -TV Listings Magazines – Tuesday 2 October 2007, Weekly Newspapers Thursday 4 October 2007 and Daily Newspapers Saturday 6 October 20071/694/6661CORONATION STREET, Wednesday 10th October 2007 at 7.30pmChesney Battersby-Brown [SAM ASTON] sitting on the stairs with Schmeichel agrees with Cilla Battersby-Brown [WENDI PETERS] that the best thing is for her to make a fresh start in Las Vegas without him – but he s hurting inside. Cilla gives her son an awkward kiss and a hug.This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Plc Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itvpictures.comDigital ImagePhotograher – Neil Marland Picture contact [email protected] – 0161 827 2231 and [email protected] – 0161 827 2361 (Image: ITV)
Sam Aston, known for his role as Chesney Brown, is not the only star in his large family of nine siblings. The actor has been a familiar face on the soap for 22 years, having first appeared on the cobbles at just 10 years old.
His character, the son of Cilla Battersby-Brown and half-brother of Fiz Stape, was named after 90s pop star Chesney Hawkes. Over the years, Chesney’s storylines have ranged from hostage situations to fatherhood, with Sam now portraying a devoted husband to Gemma and father to Joseph and their quadruplets.
Despite joining in 2003, Sam’s acting career began much earlier. At the tender age of five, he made his television debut in Eddie Mountain, following his enrolment at the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop in Bury.
Prior to , he also featured in Where the Heart Is and The Bill. Just a year into his time on the cobbles, Sam received the Best Newcomer award at the National Television Awards.
Acting seems to run in the family, as Sam’s sister Emily had a stint on as Becky Palmer from 1996 to 1997, while his brother Joseph played Tommy Duckworth in 2000. Another brother, Thomas, has also pursued an acting career, appearing in episodes of Casualty and The Bill, reports .
Coronation Street star Sam Aston made his debut in 2003 (Image: Getty Images)
The star has been balancing on-screen fatherhood with a bustling household of his own, a skill he attributes to his upbringing. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he shared his secret: “Because I grew up in a big family, I’ve always been used to the chaos. I’ve got five sisters and three brothers so I’m used to a lot of people being around in the house, children and all sorts.”
Off the cobbles, Sam is blissfully wedded to yoga instructor and birth doula, Briony. Their vow exchange was nothing short of magical, taking place in May 2019 at an idyllic Cheshire venue on Stock Farm, nestled by Tatton Park, where Sam humbly declared himself “the luckiest man alive”.
The proposal itself was quite the public spectacle. Indeed, in the summer of 2017, under the spotlight of a charity golf dinner hosted with colleagues Alan Halsall and Andy Whyment at Salford’s Worsley Park Marriott Hotel, Sam took the bold step, dropping to one knee in front of an audience of over 250.
The star-crossed lovers, who date back to their teenage years and early online flirtations on MSN, came full circle after a temporary split, as recounted by Sam to the Mirror: “Briony and I met when I was about 15 or 16,” he reminisced. “We got together, but we were very young.”
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Coronation Street’s Sam Aston with his wife Briony (Image: Briony Aston Instagram)
Their paths diverged briefly, yet remarkably reconverged when they both volunteered at the same drama workshop years later. Recollecting to the Mirror, Sam revealed, “Three or four years later we were both helping out at the same drama workshop. Carol Godby’s acting school, which is where I started as a youngster.
“I was teaching and Briony was in the room next door. I think she might have given me a funny look when I first walked in, but we soon got past that and straight away we got talking. We went for a meal that night at a country pub and that was it. We’ve been together ever since.”
The couple, after exchanging vows, expanded their family with three children. Their son Sonny James was born prematurely on August 11, 2020, just a year following their wedding, while their daughter Daisy Josephine was born in May 2022.
Tragically, Briony and Sam suffered two miscarriages within a span of four months. Briony shared the heartbreaking detail that one of their lost babies was due to ‘Vanishing Twin Syndrome’, which is characterised by the cessation of growth of one twin, followed by its absorption by the body.
During a scan, a midwife uncovered the evidence of non-identical twins, each residing in their own amniotic sac with separate placentas, by identifying the remaining sac of the twin that had vanished.
Briony revealed: “If we hadn’t had the early scan, I wouldn’t even have known,” and further elucidated that this discovery clarified why her symptoms were more severe during this pregnancy compared to previous ones.
In 2024, Sam and Briony announced the arrival of their new baby girl. “Welcome to the world…Hazel Marie Aston. 07.05.24 8lbs 15oz,” they captioned photos from Hazel’s birth, including Briony’s water birth in a birthing pool.
A heartwarming photo showed big siblings Sonny and Daisy participating in a special candlelit ceremony to welcome their new sister, with the umbilical cord and placenta present.