Christmas movies kids now – motherhood, Hollywood and married to Elon Musk’s ex

It’s hard to believe that the kids from Christmas classics such as The Holiday and Love Actually are all grown up.

It seems like only yesterday that Beth sat on the moon with tinsel in her hair in Nativity! and Sophie demanded a rendition of Mr NapkinHead from Jude Law in The Holiday.

However, the child stars of the festive favourites are not kids anymore, with little Sophie, played by Miffy Engleman now a mum and Love Actually’s Sam – Thomas Brodie Sangster – married to Elon Musk’s ex.

So, as we get ready to crack open the Quality Street and watch all our Christmas favourites, here’s what some of the child stars from the festive flicks are up to now…

Nativity!

Ben Wilby – Bob

With it’s catchy songs, adorable performances and a hilarious plot line, Nativity! has become a modern Christmas classic in the 15 years since its release.

And one stand out character is Bob, who becomes the centre of attention. The film stars a host of big names including Alan Carr, Pam Ferris and Martin Freeman. However, Ben Wilby was only seven years old when he starred in the hit comedy film and is now 22.

After his appearance in the film, the actor went on to feature in two other Nativity! movies, as well as appearances in television series’ Father Brown and Cuckoo.

He was studying at drama school Emil Dale Academy in Hitchin and regularly posts videos about his Nativity! fame to his 80K followers on TikTok.

Last year, the star popped into the Heart Breakfast studio to audition in front of host Amanda Holden for the radio show’s Christmas Show skit. He stood on the stage and announced: “Hey Amanda, I’m here to audition for your Christmas show.Don’t worry, I’ve done it before.”

Baffled, the TV favourite quizzed: “Where do I know you from?” before he performed his dance routine.She squealed: “Wait, OMG,” as he said: “It’s me, Bob from Nativity!” Ben then burst into song, exclaiming: “She’s the brightest star I’ve ever seen, brightest star.”

Ellie Coldicutt – Beth

Sparkle & Shine was one of the breakout hits from Nativity!, and the standout performance went to Ellie Coldicutt, who played the little girl sitting on the moon with tinsel in her hair.

By the age of 13, Ellie had starred in the UK tour of The Sound Of Music and a stage version of The Secret Garden in both Edinburgh and Toronto.

However, her life took a different direction when she put acting on the back burner and went to university, study law and criminology at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

After graduating in July 2019, Ellie began working at a marketing agency in the west Midlands before bagging a job as a marketing executive in Leamington Spa in August this year.

As well as pursuing a career in marketing, Ellie, now 27, has founded a successful fashion business called Elrosé Clothing – an online boutique selling every-day womenswear pieces.

The Holiday

Miffy Englefield – Sophie

The Holiday came out almost two decades ago, but Miffy Englefield still gets recognised by fans. However, the child actress, who played Jude Law’s daughter Sophie in the flick, looks completely different nowadays after undergoing a huge transformation.

Back then, Miffy was known for her angelic appearance as she starred alongside Jude and Cameron Diaz in the fan-favourite movie. However, she now describes herself as “Short, loud and mostly ridiculous. Hot mum. Always overdressed.”

Fans of the Christmas movie will remember Miffy as Graham’s adorable daughter, who melted Amanda’s (Cameron) heart when she fell in love with the father-of-two. But now, Miffy has amassed even more fans thanks to her presence on social media sites including TikTok and Instagram where she discusses her time on the movie.

Despite her now iconic performance, Miffy has put acting on the back burner and spends her time raising her daughter Frances, four, “in the best way” she can. However, despite being a full-time mum, she previously admitted she would “love” to return to her acting routes. “I would love to read for a part,” she said on TikTok before adding: “I would love to audition again, I don’t know if I’m good at it anymore.”

But in a heartbreaking admission, she said: “I don’t think many casting directors are looking for people with my look. I have quite a lot of tattoos now and I’ve got a shaved head and a few body mods and things like that. So, if there was ever a casting director that wants someone like me to read through for a part, hit me up, I’d love to.”

Love Actually

Thomas Brodie-Sangster – Sam

Now 35, Thomas Brodie-Sangster is still known by millions for playing Sam in the 2003 romantic comedy. The actor spent most of his time on screen opposite Liam Neeson who was played Sam’s dad, Daniel.

Since starring in the film, Thomas has enjoyed a successful film career, with a role as chess player Benny Watts in the Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit. His performance as Watts earned Brodie-Sangster a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

In 2023, he played Jack ‘Artful Dodger’ Dawkins, originally featured in Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist, in the Disney+ miniseries The Artful Dodger, which follows the character after the novel’s events. On 21 November 2024, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second series and that Brodie-Sangster would reprise his role from the first series.

Off screen, Thomas is married to actress Talulah Riley, who he met while working on the FX limited series Pistol. They fell head-over-heels for each other in 2021 before getting hitched on 22 June 2024 in Hertfordshire.

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

This post was originally published on here