Tracy Beaker star marrying superfan who says he's her ‘childhood crush’

For those who reckon that having a celebrity crush is just a childish fantasy which will never go anywhere, get a load of this - a Tracy Beaker star is currently engaged to a 'superfan' of his.

Chris Slater - who played the loveable Frank Matthews from 2010 to 2018 - has decided to get hitched to one of his long-standing admirers who has fancied the pants off of him since his CBBC days.

The actor captured the hearts of the nation with his performances in Tracy Beaker Returns and The Dumping Ground, and it seems he never let go of a certain someone's.

Sam Wilson is the lucky lady who is now set to marry her 'childhood crush' in 2026 after she managed to bag her dream man who she'd apparently had her eye on since being a kid.

She announced the exciting news in a TikTok post, which included a montage of pictures and videos of her famous fella.

The bride-to-be, 25, from Cumbria, captioned the post: "He isn’t my childhood crush anymore… He’s my fiancé."

Hat's off, Sam - it seems you've secured yourself a keeper.

But I'll bet she won't be best pleased when all that rowdy lot from The Dumping Ground turn up on her big day - as they will no doubt bring the drama and will pull a load of pranks, like they always did in the hit BBC series.

Seeing Chris' face flash up on the FYP came as quite of a shock to a lot of social media users, who haven't heard much from him since he put his character to bed after nearly a decade onscreen.

I mean, talk about a blast from the past, eh?

But even after all these years, people still have a lot of love for the actor and took to the comment section to share their congratulations with him and Sam.

One person wrote: "My favourite programme growing up. Feel like he hasn't changed one bit, a massive congratulations."

Another said: "Big up Frank, legend!"

A third added: "Omg this is awesome, imagine having a celeb crush for them to actually be your partner! Amazing - you both look so happy."

Someone else chimed in: "I'm glad 'Frank' has a real happily ever after. This is too cute."

While a fifth joked: "Girl I had such a childhood crush on your man. You won!"

In another TikTok, an excited Sam revealed that she and her fiancé had chosen a date and even booked a venue.

Chris - who has cerebral palsy, like his character in Tracy Beaker did - ended up getting his big break after he was scouted while taking part in a play at a local theatre as a teen.

He previously told the BBC that he 'luckily' has a photographic memory, so he could simply read over his lines the night before and morning of a shoot and still knock it out of the park.

The BBC star, from South Shields, had initially planned to forge a career in the fitness industry and explained acting 'was just a hobby', until he became the beloved Frank Matthews.

Although we don't see him on our tellies on a daily basis anymore like we did while growing up, Chris is still making use of his acting talents and was cast in the play Animal earlier this year.