Coronation Street actor Sam Robertson, known for playing Adam Barlow, has a life away from the cobbles that includes a reality TV stint, a famous ex, and a moment when he nearly quit the soap. The Scottish actor joined the ITV programme in 2004 at age 18, and now at 40, he has become one of the street's central characters.
Early Career and Modelling
Before Coronation Street, Sam's TV credits included E4's Beaver Falls, Sky One's The Match, Push, Sky's Bedlam, and BBC Scotland's River City. He also tried modelling while studying English and Drama at the University of Manchester, using the part-time work to fund his studies. Midway through, he was asked to audition for Coronation Street and landed the role of Adam Barlow.
Romance with Alex Scott
In September 2020, Sam was seen enjoying a champagne dinner date with former footballer and pundit Alex Scott at London's Dean Street Townhouse. An onlooker said: "There was clearly a spark." However, the relationship did not progress, as Alex revealed things got off to a "bad start" when rumours spread. She said: "My one date in ages was going out with Sam [Robertson], who is lovely." She added: "The next morning, our pictures were all over the press because someone in the restaurant had taken a photo. It wasn't exactly a great start!"
Big Brother Stint
During his break from Coronation Street, Sam appeared on Channel 4's Big Brother in 2013. He was the second person evicted after facing Ryan Moloney in a public vote. The audience chanted "Get Sam Out" repeatedly, and host Brian Dowling revealed only 10 percent of the votes separated the two. After leaving, Sam said: "I'm delighted to be out. Honestly, man, it's fun but I've had enough. There's nothing to do. No music, no computer, no books." He added: "It was so much more boring than I thought it would be and so much more challenging mentally."
Almost Quitting the Soap
In 2019, Sam admitted he considered leaving his role as Adam due to the pressure of being recognised by fans. He explained: "I don't know why but I was in a bit of a strange head space because obviously this job, for the actors, it kind of overtakes your life in a lot of ways. You can't really leave the job at the door when you leave on a Friday night, and that was kind of getting to me. I was not really enjoying that aspect of it, the intrusion and all that sort of thing so I just needed a bit of a fresh perspective to decide whether I wanted this long term. I think if I never had that break my mindset would have been completely different." Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
