Laura Aikman is an English actor best known to Gavin and Stacey fans as Sonia, the sharp‑tongued girlfriend and almost wife of Neil “Smithy” Smith. She first appeared in the 2019 Christmas special as Smithy’s new partner, quickly becoming one of the show’s most divisive characters due to Sonia’s demanding and controlling streak. Away from Barry and Billericay, Aikman has worked steadily across British television and is married in real life to former Coronation Street actor Matt Kennard.
How Sonia returned for the long‑awaited finale
When Gavin and Stacey returned for their finale, viewers went in wondering whether Smithy had said yes to Nessa’s surprise proposal at the end of the 2019 special. Instead, the episode revealed a huge twist: Smithy was preparing to marry Sonia, with the opening scenes deliberately staged to make audiences think they might be watching a Nessa, Smithy wedding. Co‑creator James Corden has explained that he pitched the fake‑out structure as a way to wrong‑foot fans, with Sonia’s presence kept so secret that Laura Aikman was left off call sheets and even put in separate hotels.
The brutal altar twist and fan reactions
In the finale’s climactic scenes, Smithy abandons Sonia on their wedding day, realising he cannot go through with the marriage because his heart still belongs to Nessa. The jilt-at-the-altar moment is played as both excruciating and inevitable: Sonia storms out humiliated while Smithy races off to stop Nessa leaving, before finally proposing to her instead. Laura Aikman has said she “hates” Sonia as much as many viewers do and fully agrees that Smithy should run, describing the character as “awful” and acknowledging she became, for an hour on Christmas Day, one of the most disliked women in Britain.
Marriage offers and unexpected sympathy
Despite Sonia being written as someone audiences were meant to dislike, Laura Aikman says the public reaction has been surprisingly affectionate towards her personally. Speaking at the Rolling Stone UK Awards, she revealed that after the finale aired, men in pubs jokingly shouted “I’d marry you, love” at her, as if to rescue the character who had just been left alone in her wedding dress. She has also expressed relief that viewers mostly separated her from Sonia, saying people were “quite kind” and did not treat her as if she actually was the manipulative fiancée they had just seen.
Keeping the comeback secret from everyone
Laura Aikman was under a strict non‑disclosure agreement for the finale and has repeatedly said she took it “very seriously”. To protect the twist, she was hidden away during filming, stayed in different accommodation from other cast members and was not listed on standard production paperwork, meaning even some crew did not initially know she was involved. She has also spoken about how she could not tell her own family she was back in the show, instead secretly recording their stunned reactions when Sonia appeared on screen in full bridal gear on Christmas Day.
Why Sonia remains so controversial
Sonia’s unpopularity stems from how she treats Smithy: she is dismissive of his friends, critical of his habits and constantly trying to reshape him, which clashes with the warmth and acceptance he finds with Nessa. Online, many fans admit they “hate” Sonia but praise Aikman’s performance, noting that the character avoids a cartoonish comeuppance and instead exits in a painfully realistic, if upsetting, way. Laura Aikman herself has leaned into the backlash with humour, apologising tongue‑in‑cheek to viewers who felt Sonia almost “ruined Christmas” before being left behind in the church.
Laura Aikman on visiting Barry Island and life after the finale
Since the show wrapped, Laura Aikman has joked about wondering whether she would be booed if she returned to Barry Island, the Welsh seaside town that serves as one of Gavin and Stacey’s most iconic backdrops. She has said she has not been back since filming, but has fond memories of working there and is curious if slightly wary about how locals and tourists might react to seeing “Sonia” walking along the prom. Professionally, the finale has reinforced her reputation as a versatile comic actor, proving she could make a widely disliked character compelling enough that some viewers ended up wanting to marry her themselves.
