Sinéad Keenan has made a triumphant return to our screens for the new series of Unforgotten, reprising her lead role as DCI Jessica James. The 47-year-old actress stars alongside fellow lead Sanjeev Bhaskar, who plays the role of DCI Sunny Khan, for another gripping murder mystery. As the plot thickens, the Bishop Street team delve into Gerry Cooper's past. When Jess and Sunny approach his widow, Juliet (played by Victoria Hamilton), more secrets come to light.
Away from the hit ITV drama, Sinéad is married to film and TV director Chris McGill, who is the founder of Dusthouse Productions. He has worked with notable stars such as Tom Hiddleston and Jude Law and has directed episodes of EastEnders and Holby City. Chris has also ventured into acting, providing a voice for a character in the video game Fable III. The couple married in 2012, and Irish actor Andrew Scott, known for Sherlock and Fleabag, reportedly attended their wedding. Sinéad and Chris have two sons, although they tend to keep their family life private. However, Sinéad has shared rare glimpses into family life and previously joked about the challenges of Saturday mornings.
Back in November 2022, she tweeted, "Worst thing about Saturday morning? Putting on children's football socks!" By December, she revealed that her sons were seven and five years old, which would make them around nine and seven now. Aside from Unforgotten, Sinéad is also known for her roles as Farrah Phelan in Fair City and Nina Pickering in Being Human. But despite her success, Sinéad didn't always dream of becoming an actress.
Born and raised in Dublin, Sinéad is the eldest of three siblings, younger brother Rory and sister Gráinne, who have also carved out acting careers. She studied sociology and history at university and had aspirations of becoming a lawyer, inspired by the US legal drama Matlock. However, as she grew older, she realised she was more interested in playing a lawyer than actually being one. Sinéad made her acting debut back in 1999, playing Cillian Murphy's teenage love interest in the film 'Sunburn'. In a candid chat with the Mirror back in February 2008, Sinéad credited her brother Rory for inspiring her and Grainne to pursue acting.
"We support each other - it's nice we all work in the same business," she said. "So he started the acting thing in the family - our parents aren't in the acting business at all but they are very proud of us." Her sister Grainne later appeared alongside her in an episode of Unforgotten's fifth season, playing the role of Debbie. Don't miss out on the biggest soaps gossip! Get a daily email direct to your inbox with our newsletter.
