English actress Sophie Rundle is currently wading through water in the ITV drama After the Flood, in which she stars opposite her real life husband.
She plays the lead role of PC Joanna Marshall, a police officer investigating the death of a John Doe in the new drama. And her hubby Matt Stokoe plays her on-screen partner in the series, too!
Sophie’s career has gone from strength to strength since she was cast in the lead role of Alice Kett in the Sky drama Jamestown in 2014. But what else has she acted in?
How did she meet long-term partner Matt, and is she pregnant? Here’s all you need to know about the After the Flood actress, what she’s starred in, and who her husband is.
How old is Sophie Rundle?
Sophie Rundle was born on April 21 1988.
She is currently 35 years old.
What else has Sophie Rundle been in?
Actress Sophie Rundle has been on our screens ever since 2007, when she made her first TV appearance as Heather in Small Town Folk. She went on to appear in the period drama Garrow’s Law, and was part of the huge cast in Julian Fellowes’ 2012 Titanic.
She also starred in BBC Two sitcom Episodes alongside Matt LeBlanc and Stephen Mangan. That same year, she made appearances in Harry Potter director Mike Newell’s Great Expectations, as well as Shetland and Merlin on BBC One.
She also played a leading role in 2014’s The Bletchley Circle, as part of a group of young female codebreakers at Bletchley Park who use their skills to investigate crime. The series was cancelled after two seasons.
In 2017, she appeared in Jamestown, where she met her future husband Matt Stokoe. The show, Sky’s answer to a British Western, ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2019.
She also starred in Jed Mercurio political thriller Bodyguard in 2018, in which she played Vicky Budd, the wife of PS David Budd (Richard Madden), an officer tasked with protecting a controversial politician. Which also starred her then boyfriend Matt!
More recently, you might have seen Sophie in surrogacy drama The Nest (2020). She also played the titular role in political thriller The Diplomat (2023). Of course, she is most famous for her roles in Peaky Blinders, Happy Valley, and Gentleman Jack (see below).
Was Sophie Rundle in Peaky Blinders?
Sophie played the lead role of Ada Thorne, née Shelby, in all six series of hit gang drama Peaky Blinders. She was one of the least troublesome Shelby siblings. She starred alongside Cillian Murphy, who played her character’s brother, the crime boss Tommy Shelby.
Was Sophie Rundle in Happy Valley?
For those asking, she did indeed appear in Happy Valley in 2014, in the short-lived but pivotal role of Kirsten McAskill. Yes, she has apologised for that scene.
Viewers will know that Kirsten was murdered by Tommy Lee Royce in truly gruesome scenes.
Was Sophie Rundle in Gentleman Jack?
As well as Peaky Blinders, Sophie Rundle took up another leading role opposite Suranne Jones in Gentleman Jack. She portrayed Ann Walker, the love interest (and later wife) of protagonist Anne Lister (Jones).
She played the role from 2019 to 2022.
Who are Sophie Rundle’s parents? Who are her family?
Sophie is the only daughter of Michael and Fiona Rundle, who are not in the spotlight.
She does have two brothers who are, though. Her older brother James Rundle is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, covering cyber security.
And her younger brother Henry Rundle followed in her footsteps to become an actor. Henry, also known as Harry, is best known for understudying the lead role of Scorpius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on the West End. He has also appeared on Doctors.
Who is the husband of Sophie Rundle?
Sophie is believed to be married to long-term boyfriend and After the Flood co-star Matt Stokoe. After announcing their engagement, she has since been spotted wearing a wedding band. Although neither has confirmed the marriage.
While they are famously private about their personal lives, Sophie Rundle HAS discussed working alongside her husband.
She has said: “What I will say is we really like working with each other, are similar in the way we work. Both of us are very much you do your homework privately, turn up, do the job, go home, get on with it.
“It’s so funny because normally when you are on set, and you’re not needed you go to the green room. You are with other actors, and everyone sits, and they chat. But when it was just me and Matt, we would take ourselves off to the green room and just sit in silence and read our books and play on our phone because it was such a relief.”
The pair have appeared onscreen several times together, including in Jamestown, Bodyguard, After the Flood, and the film Rose which Matt wrote.
How did Sophie Rundle and Matt Stokoe meet?
The pair reportedly met on the set of Jamestown. Matt portrayed James Read, a blacksmith who had hopes of marrying farm girl Alice, played by Sophie.
That wasn’t to be the last time they were on screen together. As well as After the Flood, Matt played the mysterious crime boss Luke Aikens in 2018’s political thriller Bodyguard.
Matt’s got something of a knack for playing the big bads. In 2016, he served as The Musketeers’ final season antagonist Captain Marcheaux, who was eventually defeated by D’Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino). And if that wasn’t enough, he played the titular murderer in The Hunt For Raoul Moat, a 2023 ITV drama based on real events.
He has, of course, played some friendlier roles. As well as James Read, Matt played the promiscuous Alex in Misfits, free-thinking teacher George Eyre in The Village, and the Green Knight in Arthurian Netflix fantasy Cursed.
Did Sophie Rundle and her husband have a baby?
Sophie Rundle and Matt Stokoe have one son, Henry, born in April 2021.
She announced that she was expecting baby number two in January 2024, while promoting After the Flood on BBC’s The One Show.
Is Sophie Rundle pregnant? Was Sophie Rundle pregnant while filming After the Flood?
While Sophie’s character Jo is heavily pregnant during After the Flood, Sophie was not. She was wearing a prosthetic belly, something that she told the Daily Mail felt rather surreal.
She said: “I was getting into a giant, freezing-cold paddling pool every day wearing a large pregnancy belly beneath a police uniform. It was certainly different!”
She confirmed in 2024 she is now pregnant in real life, adding “this is starting to feel like the longest pregnancy any human woman has ever endured”.
Has Sophie had plastic surgery on her jaw?
Some websites report that Sophie Rundle has had plastic surgery in recent years, including jaw surgery and botox.
Fans speculation seems mostly due to her jaw looking particularly defined on recent Instagram posts. However, this could be the result of airbrushing or a filter.
Sophie Rundle has never publicly stated an opinion on plastic surgery, nor has she confirmed or denied having it done herself.
After the Flood on ITV
After the Flood is the new mystery thriller from ITV, which tells the story of a devastating natural event and a mysterious death. When a body is found trapped in an underground car park, police assume the man is a tragic victim of the flood. PC Joanna Marshall (Sophie Rundle) thinks otherwise. Who is this man, and how exactly did he perish?
Philip Glenister is also in the cast, and stars as property developer Jack Radcliffe. Meanwhile, Nicholas Gleaves plays Jo’s boss Sergeant Phil Mackie, and Lorraine Ashbourne plays Jo’s mother, Molly, and real-life partner Matt Stokoe is playing Jo’s husband Pat.
Read more: Matt Stokoe: After the Flood actor stars alongside his real life wife Sophie Rundle
After the Flood premieres on ITV1 on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 9pm.
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