Sheridan Smith became emotional during the latest episode of ITV's Starstruck as she spoke about her late father, Colin, who died in December 2016. The actress and singer, who serves as a judge on the show alongside Beverley Knight, Adam Lambert and Jason Manford, was moved by a contestant's story about losing her own father.
Contestant Kayla, who performed as Celine Dion with two others, shared in a pre-recorded VT that she had taken a break from singing after her father's death but had decided to return to her passion. After the performance, Smith told the trio: 'Oh girls, girls, I love you!' She praised their performance, calling it 'perfect' and 'gorgeous.'
Addressing Kayla directly, Smith said: 'I lost my dad and I stopped acting because of it. You keep doing what you love because your dad will be so proud of you, okay? And you just made him so proud tonight.' Her voice broke as she became tearful, and Kayla was also seen wiping away tears as the audience applauded.
This is not the first time Smith has spoken about her father's death affecting her career. In a 2018 interview, she revealed she had considered quitting acting and got several tattoos, including 'Daddy's Girl,' during that difficult period. She later said: 'I was not in a good place... But then I got better and thought: Oh, I'm an idiot! Of course I'm going back to acting!'
