More than 10 years on since Shameless’ dramatic finale episode aired on Channel 4, we take a look at what the likes of Debbie, Ian, Lip and Frank are up to now…
It’s been over a decade since viewers said goodbye to Shameless, Channel 4’s unforgettable dramedy set on the fictional Chatsworth estate in Manchester. Bursting onto screens in 2004, Shameless quickly cemented itself as a standout series of the 2000s, kickstarting several major acting careers along the way.
Created by Burnley’s own Paul Abbott, the show was a raw, hilarious, and often shocking portrayal of working-class life in Britain. Its impact wasn’t limited to the UK either — the American adaptation also found major success. Since The Jockey poured its last pint, the world has changed dramatically — and so have the lives of the cast who made Chatsworth come alive.
The Mirror catches up with the former residents of Chatsworth, revealing where they’ve ended up — from Hollywood red carpets to reality TV showdowns…
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Frank Gallagher – David Threlfall
He was the alcoholic, chain-smoking, feckless father of the pack who abandoned his five kids to move in with his neurotic sex fiend of a girlfriend, Sheila Jackson. Often found quoting Shakespeare in between wetting himself, Frank’s go-to pose was propping up the bar at The Jockey in his infamous parka.
Off-screen, however, actor David Threlfall, now 71, couldn’t be more different. A far cry from his chaotic alter ego, David is a classically trained actor with an impressive resume. He’s appeared in major films like Patriot Games alongside Harrison Ford, and had roles in acclaimed series such as Cutting It and Spooks. A frequent performer with the Royal Shakespeare Company, David’s talents shine brightest on the stage.
Most recently, David played George Parker in Funny Woman, where he starred alongside Gemma Arterton in the adaptation of the book by Nick Hornby. The story follows a beauty queen leaving Blackpool to make a name for herself on TV in London during the swinging sixties
Away from the world of television, David has two children with wife and fellow actor Brana Bajic. Intriguingly, non-smoker David has also previously told the Mirror he has nothing in common with his Shameless alter-ego.
Highlighting one key difference during the 2010 interview, he explained: “I can’t imagine getting up in the morning and taking a drink. My body doesn’t take more than four pints. I was doing a scene yesterday where he was drinking cough medicine. He’s lost.”
Fiona Gallagher – Anne-Marie Duff
Fiona was Frank’s long-suffering eldest daughter who he left in charge of raising her siblings after their mum Monica ran off with another woman. But the part-time teaching assistant got her Cinderella story when hunky posh boy Steve McBride (James McAvoy) fell head over heels for her at a nightclub.
Unfortunately, the fairy tale came to a crushing end in series two when Steve’s secret side gig as a car thief and heroin dealer came to light, forcing him to flee the estate. He eventually returned for Fiona and convinced her to start a new life in Amsterdam where they got hitched.
And in real life, Anne-Marie, 54, and James, 46, also fell in love, marrying in secret in 2006 and welcoming son Brandon in 2010. But six years later they announced their divorce, with actress Anne-Marie branding it a ‘profound, difficult experience.’
James has since married his second wife Lisa Liberati, who he met on the set of psychological horror film Split Although their romantic relationship has now ended, Anne-Marie has insisted: “There’s a lot of goodwill between us.”
“And we do still laugh all the time. I cannot imagine a time in my life when he doesn’t make me belly laugh,” she told the Telegraph. “We love being parents and he’s someone I’ll respect, always.”
After quitting Shameless in series two, Anne-Marie’s star continued to rise. She went on to star in Nowhere Boy, Suffragette, and Before I Go to Sleep alongside Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth. Anne-Marie has worked on some of the most talked-about TV shows of the past few years, including Sex Education, The Salisbury Poisonings, and Bad Sisters, which earned her a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress in 2023.
Steve McBride – James McAvoy
Hailing from a rich family of medical professionals, Steve was also set to become a doctor but quit medical school two years in. After bowing out with Fiona in series two, actor James’ career blew up with lead roles in blockbusters such as Atonement, X-Men, and The Last King of Scotland.
Following his divorce from Anne-Marie, Scottish-born James embarked on a relationship with production assistant Lisa, who he married privately, confirming the wedding had taken place during a 2022 interview with The Guardian. Last month, James was recognised for his outstanding contribution to cinema by his home city.
The actor was presented with the Cinema City Honorary Award by the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) in March 2025. Speaking outside the GFT, he said: “It’s humbling, it’s a massive honour. I never thought for a second when I started acting at the age of 16 that I would even get another job, let alone be here, 29 years later, getting a lovely award from my home city. So yeah, massively humbling, and it’s quite sentimental as well.”
Debbie Gallagher – Rebecca Ryan
Debbie – in Frank’s words – was sent by God but you’ve got to check your change. Like her big sister Fiona, Debbie was saddled with mother duties before leaving the estate to join the army in series six. Rebecca, 33, went on to star in the BBC drama Doctors and more recently played Gem Dean in Casualty but quit in 2018.
In 2021, Manchester-born Rebecca joined the cast of Coronation Street as Underworld PA Lydia Chambers. After causing plenty of trouble between Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) and Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) – including shoving Adam off a balcony – Lydia left the cobbles in 2022.
In January 2025, revealed she is pregnant with her second child with her husband Dan Acraman in a sweet Instagram post. Her news comes nearly two years after she welcomed her first baby.
Phillip ‘Lip’ Gallagher – Jody Latham
Never referred to by his actual name on account of being ‘a bit of a gobsh*te’, Lip had a baby with Mandy McGuire before heading off to university to embrace his studious side.
After leaving Shameless behind, Jody, 42, joined co-star Rebecca Ryan in Waterloo Road before moving on to The Tudors, Hollyoaks, Holby City, and Doctors. In 2009 he was the first person to be kicked off reality show Hell’s Kitchen after a series of barneys with the other contestants.
Jody has embarked upon a very different career path in recent years, and now works in his family construction business. It would seem that his new direction has been very lucrative, as he previously showed off his lime green £200K Lamborghini on Instagram.
In 2020, the actor-turned-entrepreneur opened up about his mental health struggles during an appearance on James English’s Anything Goes podcast. He revealed: “I did a stint in rehab – I’ve never spoken about this publicly. It wasn’t for me – but I learned a lot from it.
“My substance abuse is minimal, I do drink sometimes, not every day and not a lot, but because I was going through anxiety and business worries, there was an opportunity to go and refresh.
“It was exhaustion as well. I took a week out, it was going to be a month, but I took a week.”
Ian Gallagher – Gerard Kearns
Ian led a secret double life as the underage lover of married corner shop owner Kash Karib (Chris Bisson) – who also happened to be his boss.
It later emerged he wasn’t actually Frank’s child but rather the result of one of Monica’s affairs, and he made a swift exit after accidentally killing Joe Pritchard in series seven. Gerard, 39, has since starred in the BAFTA-winning The Mark of Cain and the crime drama Trespass Against Us, also starring Michael Fassbender.
He has been married to wife Sarah since December 2017 and they have two sons, Aiden James Kearns and James Aiden Kearns.
Veronica Fisher – Maxine Peake
As Fiona’s feisty best mate, Veronica was a regular in the Gallaghers’ kitchen – when she wasn’t getting hot and heavy with her other half, Kev. But their constant lovemaking took on a more serious tone when it emerged they were struggling to conceive.
And life cruelly imitated art, with Maxine, 50, and her art director partner Pawlo Wintoniuk suffering three rounds of IVF and two miscarriages before deciding enough was enough.
“I had three rounds but that was enough for me, I was done. It was so difficult physically and emotionally,” she previously told Radio 4. “You are absolutely pumped full of hormones, you’re tired, and I was working at the same time.
“You don’t have that luxury of taking time off. You have to find places where you can inject when you’re on a night shoot. In a grubby portable toilet, panicking that you’re going to infect yourself.”
The actress has since played Myra Hindley in See No Evil: The Moors Murders and starred in The Theory of Everything, Dinnerladies, and Black Mirror.
Kev Ball – Dean Lennox Kelly
Barman Kev and his randy wife Veronica were famed for their steamy scenes, but for actor Dean, lying naked and spread-eagled on leopardskin sheets was a low point.
He told the Argus: “That was definitely the most embarrassing moment. It was a very cold day and there were five people in the room, all of them men.
“There was another bad episode at the start of the second series when Kev had a crush on his reading teacher and I had to pretend to masturbate a few times on camera.
“That was really embarrassing because it was a female director and she was kind of giving me notes about what my position should be like. Trust me, lady, I’m doing it right.”
Dean, 49, went on to star in Frankie, Jamestown, and Married, Single, Other. You might also remember him as William Shakespeare in a 2007 episode of Doctor Who.
More recently, Dean has worked on shows such as Brassic and Shadow and Bone. He has two children with his folk singer and writer wife Eugenie.
Sheila Jackson – Maggie O’Neill
Frank’s girlfriend Sheila buried her first husband in her back garden after years of domestic abuse. Agoraphobic, anxious, and with a penchant for sex toys – for reasons unknown she was devoted to her beer-swilling boyfriend.
Before joining the show Maggie O’Neill, 62, was already a big star having appeared in Hollywood blockbuster Gorillas in the Mist and the music video for Simply Red’s Holding Back the Years.
She went on to play Max and Jack Branning’s sister Suzy in EastEnders in 2008 before leaving after six months amid rumours of a feud with co-star Samantha Womack. Neither have ever commented on the claims. More recently, Maggie has made appearances in Call The Midwife, Casualty, and Two Doors Down.
Karen Jackson – Rebecca Atkinson
Sheila’s wayward daughter Karen infamously performed a sex act on Lip and his brother Ian under the kitchen table before embarking on a forbidden affair with Frank.
Eventually, Karen calmed down and took over The Jockey with her new husband, Jamie Maguire. And off-screen she found love with her co-star Ben Bratt, who played Joe Pritchard, with the couple welcoming a child in 2016.
Now 41, Rebecca has starred in a wide variety of TV shows including Life on Mars, Holby City, Coronation Street, and Doctors.
But it is Karen who will always hold the biggest place in her heart.
“It was such a huge part of my life, I grew up on that show. I was there for part of my teens and all through my 20s,” she told the Sunday Post.
“It’s definitely part of what’s made me what I am. There’s a part of Karen in me. It was an amazing time in my life and I met Ben on the show too so I wouldn’t have my little boy either if it wasn’t for Shameless.”
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