Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Waring has secretly married her partner Tom Thornton-Brookes in a lavish Maldives ceremony.
The soapstar, 46, who played Cindy Cunningham for 28 years, revealed their impromptu nuptials ‘just felt right’ with the couple ‘jumping’ at the chance to get hitched abroad.
After being together for almost four years Stephanie and Tom tied-the-knot at the five star Ifuru Island resort after a last minute decision.
In photos published by OK! Magazine, the actress looked stunning in an A-line gown with a fitted bustier and embroidered detailing.
Steph’s daughters, Mia, 18, and Lexi, 13, were not present at their wedding, but she made sure to FaceTime them to show off her gown.
Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Waring has secretly married her partner Tom Thornton-Brookes in a lavish Maldives ceremony (pictured in May)
The soapstar, who played Cindy Cunningham for 28 years, revealed their impromptu nuptials ‘just felt right’ with the couple ‘jumping’ at the chance to get hitched abroad
She told the publication: ‘When we booked this holiday to the Maldives, Tom said: “Do you want to get married?” and I just replied, “Yeah.”‘
Tom explained: ‘I was having a look online at where we were staying and I saw they did weddings. I’m quite an impromptu person in some senses, so it just felt right. We just jumped at this chance.’
Stephanie continued: ‘I FaceTimed Lexi before going, and when she saw my wedding dress she burst into tears. She’s very funny and caring and is so happy for us. She loves Tom to bits.’
Stephanie unveiled the identity of her boyfriend – Tom – when the couple went Instagram official in March 2021, after dating for ‘a few months.’
She shared a series of loved up snaps of them together and showed her true feelings for her new man, by writing alongside: ‘My heart.’
The mother-of-two shares, Lexi Grace, with ex Dan Hooper, and Mia, with a former partner.
Stephanie briefly dated businessman Riad Erraji – ex-husband of Natasha Hamilton – in 2015 before having a short-lived romance with Rick Shore.
The soap actress also previously dated former Eastender Michael Greco for six months, between 2016 and 2017.
Stephanie unveiled the identity of her boyfriend – Tom – when the couple went Instagram official in March 2021, after dating for ‘a few months’ (pictured at the time)
The happy news comes after Stephanie revealed to her followers in May that she had been secretly studying to become a life coach as she prepared to say goodbye to Hollyoaks
The actress, who played Cindy Cunningham, was ‘left distraught’ after finding out her character had been axed from the soap
The happy news comes after Stephanie revealed to her followers in May that she had been secretly studying to become a life coach as she prepared to say goodbye to Hollyoaks after 28 years.
She was ‘left distraught’ and broke down after finding out her character had been axed from the soap.
However, it appears a new career is on the horizon for Stephanie as she took to her Instagram to share with her followers that she will be joining the wellness industry.
Telling fans that she will be studying at Jay Shetty Life Coaching School, Stephanie said: ‘I love my job, I love my career, the profession I’ve been in since I was 18-years-old.’
‘I’m not leaving it, just let me say that, I’m not leaving it, I’m gonna carry on acting but I have other passions that I want to pursue.’
She revealed: ‘So for about a month now, I have been studying to enter a new career, a new field in the wellness industry.’
‘I have been accepted and enrolled into the Jay Shetty Certification Life Coaching school and honestly, it’s changed my life.’
‘It is changing my life and it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a couple of years now but because I’ve been so busy working on Hollyoaks, I’ve not even thought that I could even do it.’
‘So this is what I’m doing, it’s incredible and I hope that I can help Jay change a billion lives.’
She concluded: ‘If I’m just a little tiny part of it, I want to be on that journey. I hope you all follow me on that journey.’
She captioned the post with: ‘When one door closes…. Some GOOD news to share! @jayshettycertificationschool #newbeginnings #lifecoaching #wellness #jayshettycertification #jayshettycertificationschool #jayshetty.’
It comes after Stephanie broke down in tears in April as she shared a very candid post about her exit from the soap
It comes after Stephanie broke down in tears in April as she shared a very candid post about her exit from the soap.
While she still has a few more weeks of filming to go, she told her fans that she has had to say goodbye to some of the crew that she has worked with for the last 16 years.
Stephanie is the only original character to be included in a recent cull of 20 cast members.
It was revealed this month that Hollyoaks has become the latest soap to be hit by stringent budget cuts, as it’s reported they are planning to reduce their workforce by 40 per cent.