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Ryan Thomas defends daughter Scarlett's decision not to sit her GCSEs
26 August 2025, 07:22
Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas told critics his daughter Scarlett's decision to skip her qualifications wasn't 'anybody else's business'.
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Coronation Street's Ryan Thomas has defended his daughter Scarlett's decision to skip her GCSEs after the teenager revealed she chose not to sit her exams.
The soap star, 41, who shares the 16-year-old with ex-partner and fellow Corrie actress Tina O'Brien, hit back at criticism online after his eldest child admitted she would always wonder what results she could have achieved.
Slamming fans for questioning her choice to swerve the school tests, Ryan challenged people's opinions on social media as he fumed: "Is it even anyone’s business or concern though?"
The actor's comment came after Scarlett confessed she couldn't help but think about the qualifications she missed out on as everyone else got their grades this summer.
The aspiring actress is already following in her parents' footsteps, and made her TV debut in 2023 as schoolgirl Izzy in BBC drama Waterloo Road alongside her real-life uncle Adam Thomas and cousin Teddy.
She is also on her way to building an impressive social media empire with over 200,000 followers on TikTok and 140,000 more on Instagram.
But while Scarlett establishes her budding showbiz career alongside her famous family, the teen recently took to TikTok to share her feelings about her untaken tests.
Writing across a video of herself lost in thought, she wrote: "I’m watching everyone get there [sic] GCSE results today wondering if I could’ve had good results but I will forever wonder."
The post sparked criticism among her followers, with many slamming her well-known parents for not forcing her through the education system first.
"I absolutely love the Thomas family but really disappointed to read this and realise they didn’t put an importance on your education and that you’re riding the coat tails of your family," blasted one follower.
"Nepo baby didn't do them cause she thinks she's gonna be a big superstar," said another.
A third agreed, adding: "I love the Thomas family too! Still think Scarlett should’ve knuckled down and do her exams though! She might be thinking the same also!"
"Nothing to be proud of not doing them. Doing them gives you something to fall back on if you fail," explained a fourth.
But alongside those disagreeing with her choice to skip school, others applauded her bold move to follow a different path.
"This girl is grabbing the opportunity’s she’s been given so your all telling me you wouldn’t do the same. You’re acting like she does nothing constructive she’s an actress and has an amazing voice," said one TikTok fan.
"Schools are not serving a purpose, like healthcare if you can do private and shape your on own education then great. Qualifications are irrelevant," wrote a second.
Scarlett has previously hit back at trolls who claimed she only got acting work because of her family's showbiz connections.
When one critic sneered: "You only got those opportunities because of your family", she clapped back: "God forbid a girl takes the chances she gets."
Her dad Ryan, who shares his other two children, Roman, five, and Lilah, three, with fiancée Lucy Mecklenburgh, has previously spoken about his daughter's decision to go into acting.
Speaking about Scarlett, he told The Sun in June this year: "Everyone thinks she gets a lift up from family, getting on Waterloo Road.
"But she worked damn hard to get that job, and people need to recognise that she’s a talented girl – she’s up against other people and she’s not getting a free ride.
"She has to go through the same process as everyone else – it was between her and somebody else. It wasn’t like, ‘This is a Thomas, she’s going to get this job'."
- Read more: Why did Adam Thomas leave Emmerdale?
- Read more: Lucy Mecklenburgh and Ryan Thomas’ baby son rushed to intensive care after he turned blue in cot
