Sheridan Smith and Charley Webb are said to be ‘no longer on speaking terms’ after striking up an ‘intense’ friendship following the Emmerdale star’s divorce.
The soap actress, 37, split from her husband and former co-star Matthew Wolfenden, 45, in 2022 after 15 years together and five years of marriage.
Sheridan proved to be a pillar of strength for Charley in the wake of her split and the two friends even spent last Christmas together.
However their bond is said to have waned, with the formerly close pals choosing to unfollow each other on Instagram after moving out of their shared home.
A source told the Sun: ‘Charley was living with Sheridan after her split from Matthew Wolfenden. It was no secret that they had a very intense and fulfilling relationship, but then Sheridan decided to move house and Charley wasn’t really part of those plans.
‘Charley grew really close to another actress – Wallis Day – at around the same time and they ended up drifting apart.
Sheridan Smith and Charley Webb are said to be ‘no longer on speaking terms’ after striking up an ‘intense’ friendship following the Emmerdale star’s divorce
The soap actress, 37, split from her husband and former co-star Matthew Wolfenden, 45, in 2022 after 15 years together and five years of marriage (stock image pictured together)
‘It came as a real shock to everyone because Sheridan and Charley were inseparable at one time, even calling each other “bae”.
According to the publication, the duo were so close that Charley even helped out while Sheridan was away working. They also had a dog together and enjoyed a sun-soaked holiday in Greece.
But after a brief period of living together, Sheridan moved to Doncaster with her five-year-old son Billy, who she co-parents with her ex-fiance Jamie Horn.
The move was prompted by her spending time there while filming her new true crime series, I Fought The Law, about a mother who appealed for her daughter’s killer to be sentenced after he was acquitted twice due to mistrials.
Sheridan said that she ‘loved filming there so much’ that she decided to move up north.
However, Charley is still spending a lot of time working on acting in London when she is not in Yorkshire with her three children Buster, 15, Bowie, 11 and Ace, seven.
While in London she is reportedly hanging out a lot with new pal Wallis Day and have been spotted spending time in private members’ clubs together.
It was Charley who called it quits on the relationship with Matthew, after deciding would be best for the two Emmerdale stars to go their separate ways.
The ‘real reason’ behind Charley Webb and Matthew Wolfenden’s shock split has been reportedly revealed (pictured in 2017 a year before they tied the knot)
At the time of their split Charley had left behind her role as Debbie Dingle in Emmerdale and was embarking on her first stage tour as Diana Ingram in Quiz.
Amid rave reviews it was reportedly this new career accomplishment which made Charley reexamine her life and make the life changing decision.
An insider told The Sun: ‘It was the first time in years she was fully herself again, not mum, not Debbie – but a stage actress.
‘There was a lot of downtime when she was on her own, and she really had a chance to think about what she wanted from her life.’
Meanwhile Matthew was back at the couple’s home in Yorkshire looking after their children before getting ready to head to London with the stage version of Elf.
It was during this production that he met his now girlfriend Heather Scott Martin and their relationship was later assumed to be the reason behind the split.
The insider added: ‘It was incredibly hard for Matthew because people saw him with Heather and assumed he was behind the split. He kept a dignified silence at the time and only decided to speak out about it all much later on.’
The couple were married for five years after tying the knot in 2018 and share their three children
In December 2023, a month after announcing his split from Charley, Matthew was seen stepping out with love interest Heather Scott-Martin (pictured) who is now his girlfriend
Following the split the couple kept their house for another year before putting it on the market for £900,000 in January this year.
Matthew previously opened up about the split on the podcast The Lewis Nicholls Show back in May as he admitted: ‘It was a tough time for me, it was a time of big changes, and then this on top of things wasn’t the best news in the world. But things happen for a reason and yeah.
‘It was a very very tough time, but these things happen, and I’m not the first person in the world to have separated from their partner with kids involved.
‘It was the fact that the kids were quite young, and it wasn’t only a couple of years ago. That was a concern to me. We had to move onwards.’
He added: ‘I didn’t expect it at all, it was a big shock. Separation is very difficult when you’ve spent 15 years together, your lives together and everything you own is together – just sorting out.’
Last year Matthew also opened up about the couple’s co-parenting journey.
He insisted during an appearance on Loose Women that he and Charley are still good friends and they work well together to find the best way to care for their three children.
He said: ‘I think we’re still finding our way, the good thing is me and Charley we’re still best mates.
‘That’s fantastic. It’s all quite new to us still at the moment but we’re still finding our feet, finding a way to do it and do it well. I think we are.’
The couple announced their split in November 2023, with Charley writing on Instagram at the time: ‘It is with love and respect that Matthew and I have decided to separate.
‘We remain friends and our priority is the love for our children. For their sake we would appreciate privacy at this time.’
Signs of trouble in their marriage first emerged earlier in the month when Matthew unfollowed his Charley on Instagram.
A source told The Sun: ‘Charley and Matthew were in very different places in their lives when they first got together.
‘Three kids later and with new careers in the mix, everything has changed and perhaps they are no longer the unit they once were.’
