Tom Cunningham
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| Tom Cunningham | |||||||||
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| Hollyoaks | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ellis Hollins | ||||||||
| First appearance | 31 December 1999 | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Date of birth | 31 December 1999 | ||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||
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Thomas "Tom" Cunningham (born 31 December 1999) is a fictional character in the long-running British Channel 4 television soap opera Hollyoaks.
He is played by child actor Ellis Hollins.
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[edit] Description
A sweet, sensitive boy, his short life has already been full of trauma. He is the only child his late parents Gordon and Helen had together, although they already had six adult children between them. Tom was born on Millennium Eve 1999 after his mother went into labour when giving half -sister Mandy a golfing lesson.
[edit] Character history
After the bouncing castle related accident/death of his parents, Tom lived for a short while with Mandy, but now lives with half-brother Max. Tom has survived both the bouncing castle fiasco that killed his parents, the fire he started while playing with a box of matches, and getting unknowingly drunk when he drank a can of Mel Burton's cola that she'd topped up with vodka. Tom ran away from home after he started the fire
[edit] Clare
After Tom became an uncle when Mandy gave birth to Grace in 2005 and Max got together with girlfriend Clare, for a while it looked like Tom's life was going to be happy and settled. However, Grace died aged just seven months old, and cold, manipulating Clare hasn't turned out to be the nurturing mother-figure he needs. Tom quickly began to see through Clare's motherly act, especially when he overheard her saying 'naughty' things on the phone about her dalliance with Sean Kennedy, Louise's estranged husband. He also overheard her talking to her father on the phone (whom she said was dead), and innocently questioned her about both of these incidents. She told Tom he was hearing things, and shouldn't play games, but when he pressed the issue, she began to orchestrate the situation to make it look like Tom was going through a naughty stage, complete with lying and tantrums. She drew on the walls, poured water on Tom's bedsheets and blamed it on Tom misbehaving. A besotted Max immediately believed her, which upset Tom even more. Her plan to discredit Tom in case he spilled the beans apparently worked. When Max wanted to accompany Clare to London for her fertility clinic appointment (she was really visiting the New Zealand embassy with plans to abscond with her new husband's money), she panicked. Knowing Max would never leave Tom if he was ill, she suggested they go out for one last family meal before they took Tom to the babysitter's. When no one was looking, she sprinkled an unknown substance over Tom's food, and when he took a bite, he was violently ill. Max told Clare to go on the London trip alone, and she had again manipulated Tom to get her own way. After trying to kill Max at the lake, Clare disappeared and Tom was relieved, especially when his brother and O.B. (whom Tom loves) became friends again, and O.B. moved back into the flat. However, Clare was soon back on the scene, determined to ruin their lives as best she can. Tom became scared, as Clare had already taken so much from him. But when Max, after a lot of feuding, finally gave the deed to The Loft away to Clare, she has gone and left Max. Tom is now happier since Clare has gone out of his life.
[edit] Modelling
Tom did a little modelling to get some money for a climbing trip. He started to enjoy his new model status a little too much and behaved like a diva.
[edit] Care
Tom was taken into care as Clare has reported to social workers that Tom is being abused by Max after seeing the plaster on Toms head. Clare tells Tom that if he stays with Max he will kill him and so Tom can't go near Max because he will give him germs. Clare also said that that was how his mum, dad and baby Grace died, saying everyone who he has ever loved has died. When the social worker arrives, Tom rushes down and doesn't want to go near Max, as he thinks that he will die later on. He tells a devastated Max that he can't live with him any more. It was around this time that Clare was pushed off the balcony in the Loft in an attempt on her life, and Max was a prime suspect initially. However, when it was proved by Tony and Dominic that Max had nothing to do with the attack on Clare, Max finally turned the tables on his ex-wife and manipulated her condition in order to force her to tell social services the truth about what she said to Tom. Unsure of who had tried to kill her and fearing for her safety, Clare realised she was left with no choice but to admit the truth to social services. Tom has now been released back into Max and O.B.'s care.
[edit] Tom's first crush
When Steph picked Tom up from kids club Tom tried to get Steph's attention by doing star jumps. This did not work until he fell down and hurt his knee. Steph then went to help him and brought him back to O.B. From then on Tom was smitten with Steph he even tried to impress her by looking smart with his shirt and new hair and even put a flower in her bag. OB set up a dinner for two for Max and Steph, but little Tom presumed it was for himself and Steph. Steph and Max clicked onto Tom's first crush and Tom was put off when Steph talked about kissing. Though at the safari park when Steph and Max shared their first kiss he did jealously tell them to stop.
[edit] Steph, O.B. and Simon
Tom was unhappy when Steph began dating Max, and regularly threw fits about her presence in their lives. Steph's patience was tested, but after a few months, Tom began to accept her. O.B. took Tom swimming and while he was busy chatting up ladies, Tom nearly drowned. He was saved by lifeguard Simon Crosby, who talked O.B. into enrolling Tom for classes. Simon and Tom got along well, but Max began to suspect Simon was a paedophile. While Simon was at the park with Tom, Max beat Simon up. The accusations were soon proven false, but not before Simon attempted suicide. Upon his recovery, he left town. This drama widened the growing rift between Max and O.B., causing O.B. to move out. Tom asked him to please stay friends with Max, and for Tom's sake, O.B. agreed, but the friendship was still strained.
[edit] Making friends
Tom recently made friends with Newt and spent time with him and girlfriend,Lauren. Newt later made tom look like a emo boy and they shared a pizza together.Newt and Lauren didn't know,however that Tom hadn't told O.B. where he was going, so Summer and O.B. had the police out looking for him. Tom was returned and after seeing the "guyliner" on Tom, Summer knew that Newt and Lauren had been with him.Despite Tom saying he had been in the park and had lost track of time.
[edit] Max getting married
Recently , Max told Tom he was going to ask Steph to marry him. So he set up a romatic dinner but Steph couldn't come because of family problems. Then Max asked Dom if he could have half an hour in II Gnosh to propse to Steph but Elliot came crashing in and ruined it. So when Tom and Max organized a hot cross bun sale, Max put the ring into one of the buns which Tom then ate by accident. When they got to the hospital , Max showed Steph the x-ray of the ring and then propsed and she said yes. Tom then said "it's a really nice ring, you'll see it when I have a poo!"
[edit] External links
- Tom Cunningham on the Hollyoaks website
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