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Sheridan Smith has told fans that her son’s middle name is a dedication to her late brother who died when he was just 18 years old.

The 40-year-old actress welcomed her son, Billy, with her former partner Jamie Horn in May 2020.

Posting on Instagram on what would have been her brother's 50th birthday, Sheridan revealed that she honoured her late sibling by giving her son the middle name Julian.

Posting a snap of her brother climbing a tree, she wrote: "Today would’ve been my big brother Julian’s 50th birthday, so I celebrated him with his beautiful nephew Billy 'Julian'."

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Friends and fans were quick to post love heart emojis and best wishes in the comment section.

Sheridan previously spoke about the loss on her brother in her ITV documentary, Sheridan Smith: Becoming Mum.

Speaking in the documentary, she discussed her relationship with Julian following his cancer diagnosis.

She said: “He was diagnosed with cancer and spent a couple of years on the couch unwell. I’d do little performances for him. Annoying little sister probably.

“He’d encourage me to sing and dance for him and I’d massage his feet.”

Sheridan was just eight years old at the time of Julian’s passing, but says she remembered “all the screaming” on the night he died.

"I remember lots of happy memories of me and him, he was my big big brother and I really looked up to him." she said.

Speaking to Radio Times in 2016, Sheridan said her brother's death made her “value life, cherish my loved ones and be grateful for every day I have with them.”

Sheridan also starred in the cancer-based TV drama The C Word, which included a scene that saw her character Lisa carried out of the bath by her husband.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sheridan said: “I didn't really want to talk about my brother, but that scene reminded me of when my parents had to carry him up and down stairs for a bath. It was tough to film.”

Sheridan announced the arrival of her son in May 2020 via Instagram, writing: "Our little man has arrived! We are both completely overwhelmed with love."

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