 | This article consists almost entirely of a plot summary. (June 2023) |
| Cunningham family | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollyoaks family | |||||
| First appearance | 23 October 1995 | ||||
| Created by | Phil Redmond | ||||
| Introduced by | Phil Redmond | ||||
| Duration | 1995–present | ||||
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The Cunningham family are a fictional family in the long-running Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. The family were one of the original families introduced in 1995, debuting on the first episode of Hollyoaks. They originally consisted of Gordon Cunningham (Bernard Latham) and his ex-wife Angela (Liz Stooke), and their children: Dawn (Lisa Williamson), Jude (Davinia Taylor), Cindy (Hayley Fairclough/Laura Crossley/Stephanie Waring) and Max (Ben Sheriff/Matt Littler).
Subsequently, the family has seen more tragedy than happiness. Their storylines include Gordon and Angela divorcing, Dawn's affair with older Jack Osborne (Jimmy McKenna), her leukemia which leads to her death, Cindy's teenage pregnancy, Jude being in trouble with the police, the death of Gordon and his second wife Helen Richardson (Kathryn George) in a car accident and the death of Max on his wedding day to Steph Dean (Carley Stenson). In 2015, Gordon’s son Tom Cunningham (Ellis Hollins) was involved in a underaged sex storyline, which saw him become a father to Steph Cunningham-Lomax with his girlfriend Peri Lomax (Ruby O'Donnell). Other storylines include Cindy's bigamous marriage to Dirk Savage (David Kennedy) when she was still married to Mac Nightingale (David Easter), and had their son Alfie (Richard Linnell), Cindy’s relationship with Luke Morgan (Gary Lucy), and dealing with bereavement when Luke dies of an accident caused by frontotemporal dementia
As of 2023, Cindy and Tom, alongside their children Hilton Cunningham and Steph, remain the only blood Cunninghams on the show.