Who is Laura Aikman? After taking part in unbearable Sonia in Gavin & Stacey… a have a look at her life and profession, from Casualty to confidential voluntary work and a cameo in Doctors

It was the ending Gavin & Stacey fans were waiting for. 

After 17 years, nineteen episodes and three Christmas specials, Smithy and Nessa finally married – in front of an astonishing 12.5 million viewers. 

But it all happened at the expense of Sonia, the long-term fiancée who would ultimately be jilted at the altar as Smithy realised he was about to make the biggest mistake of his life. 

While we’ll never known what became of her, much can be said of Laura Aikman, the talented actress responsible for bringing Sonia to life. 

Gavin & Stacey fans were already familiar with the 39-year old star, who was originally introduced as Smithy’s insufferable girlfriend in 2019. 

But her acting credits go far beyond the hugely popular sitcom, with Aikman previously featuring in a string of high profile TV shows. 

Born on Christmas Eve 1985, she was introduced to film, television and theatre at a young age through actor parents Stuart Aikman and Jean Heard. 

Attending a girls’ only school in Elstree, she won her first role in 1996 film Surviving Picasso, in which she starred alongside acting greats Sir Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore.  

Four years later, in 2000, she featured in an episode of long-running hospital drama Casualty – the catalyst for a series of guest roles that would include appearances in The Bill, Doctors and That Mitchell And Webb Look. 

But in 2009 she secured the first of two recurring roles, as Lucy in hit BBC Three series Personal Affairs and – more significantly – in a return to Casualty, this time as Nurse May Phelps. 

A third major TV role came in 2016, when Aikman was cast as Lorna Hutchinson for the tenth series of BBC drama Waterloo Road. 

Fans will also recognise her from Keith Lemon: The Film, in which she played Rosie., and Archie – a recent TV biopic about the life and times of Hollywood legend Cary Grant – with Aikman playing the actor’s wife Dyan Cannon. 

Other TV roles include guest appearances in Death In Paradise, Pramface, Citizen Khan and Bluestone 42 – where she met her husband Matt Kennard in 2015. 

An actor in his own right, Kennard – best known for his recurring role in Doctors – will soon be seen in Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s forthcoming film, We Live in Time.

Away from film, television and theatre, Aikman – who exchanged vows with Kennard in 2019 – has also loaned her voice to numerous video games, notably the Final Fantasy franchise, in which she voices Lyse and Eloise.

The versatile star has also featured in numerous theatrical productions, among them Shakespeare’s Henry V – in which she played Princess Catherine – and Bugsy Malone. 

An advocate for mental health support, Aikman volunteered with Shout 85258 – a confidential text support service – throughout 2022.

Gavin and Stacey: The Finale drew in a whopping 12.5 million viewers to become the most watched show on Christmas Day.

Viewers had been waiting for five years to learn the fate of the BBC sitcom’s beloved characters and see if Smithy had accepted Nessa’s proposal.

The final episode was hailed ‘perfect’ by viewers, who were left in tears as the long-running show finally aired its last episode after 17 years.

The BBC won the battle of the channels when it came to ratings as 10 million also tuned in to watch the return of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.

EastEnders did well with 8.7 million watching Cindy Beale left for dead after being hit with a shovel in the two-part episode. In comparison, just 2.8millioned tuned in to see Gail Platt’s final episode on ITV’s Coronation Street.