Sheridan Smith looked effortlessly stylish as she arrived for dinner at The James Bulger Charity Ball in Liverpool on Saturday.

The actress, 43, looked comfy in black leather-look trousers and a black fitted jacket which showed off her trim figure.

She teamed the ensemble with a pair of black and white trainers and a bold red lip.

Sheridan swept her blonde tresses back in a high pony, leaving some strands to fall and frame her pretty features.

The Gavin and Stacey star looked to be in high spirits as she arrived at the glitzy event beaming for the camera.

Earlier in the day, Sheridan had been at Anfield watching Liverpool Legends versus Chelsea.

Sheridan Smith cut a casual figure as she arrived for dinner at The James Bulger Charity Ball in Liverpool on Saturday

The actress, 43, looked comfy in black leather-look trousers and a black fitted jacket which showed off her trim figure

As she left the football ground, she could be seen sharing a giggle with a pᴀsserby and carrying some goodies in a clear plastic bag.

The fixtures commemorates Chelsea’s 2004-05 season, which saw them claim their first-ever Premier League and first top-flight тιтle in 50 years, as well as the EFL Cup having beaten Liverpool in the final.

The two teams also faced off in the Champions League semi-final that season, with the Reds claiming victory over two legs.

Some notable names on either side include Gianfranco Zola, Claude Makelele, William Gallas, Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt.

Chelsea Women great Katie Chapman and Liverpool Women ambᴀssador and ex-player Natasha Dowie will also take part, make history at Anfield this weekend by becoming the first women to feature in the annual legends game.

It comes after a new drama starring Sheridan has been branded ‘completely unwatchable’ by some viewers after its recent launch.

The Castaways aired on Channel 5 in January and stars Sheridan and Céline Buckens, 28, as sisters Lori and Erin Holme. 

Directed by Andy and Ryan Tohill, the story is based on Lucy Clarke’s book and follows the two sisters as their holiday takes a turn for the worst. 

Earlier in the day, Sheridan had been at Anfield watching Liverpool Legends versus Chelsea and as she left the football ground, could be seen sharing a giggle with one of the volunteers

She wrapped her arms around a pᴀsserby and carried some goodies in a clear plastic bag which consisted of her football ticket, programme and a packet of crisps

The Gavin and Stacey star looked to be in high spirits as she left the football ground and made her way over to the glitzy event for the charity ball

Lori boards a plane to Fiji without Erin and disappears, with her flight never making it to its destination. Months later, Lori’s credit card is used and spurs Erin to find answers.

The drama originally aired on Paramount+ in 2023 and other cast members include Brendan Cowell as Mike Brᴀss, Lasarus Ratuere as Felix Vatubua and Dominic Tighe as Daniel Eldridge.

Some viewers have taken to social media to share their verdicts on the new show, with one branding it a ‘slow, shoddy production’.

Back in 2023, Sheridan revealed she had to cover up her tattoos while playing her character in The Castaways. 

Missing woman Lori often has her bare arms and legs showing and producers weren’t keen on Sheridan’s tattoos, so the make-up department put in long sessions to cover them up.

‘I had a call three hours before anyone else,’ she told Radio Times. ‘I couldn’t use my usual stuff to cover them up, it had to be waterproof!

‘So three people were dabbing away every day to cover it all. I never regretted my tats so much – I’ll never have another one.’ 

‘I was covered in freckles, and it’s quite nice having no face make-up, just yourself.’

It comes after a new drama, The Castaways, starring Sheridan has been branded ‘completely unwatchable’ by some viewers after its recent launch

Her character Lori boards a plane to Fiji without her sister Erin and disappears, with her flight never making it to its destination

And despite Netflix’s Adolescent is having it’s moment, ITV’s new ‘harrowing’ drama which stars Sheridan, looks set to air later this year.

Pictures for the drama series, I Fought The Law, show Sheridan looking completely different as she plays grieving mother Ann Ming.

Her character Ann is a real woman who campaigned for 15 years to bring her daughter’s murderer to justice. 

She got the UK’s 800-year-old ‘double jeopardy’ law overturned following the murder of her daughter Julie Hogg. 

Sheridan was seen battling security staff as she was forced out of the building while grimacing, before having a heated argument with a man in a grey suit on the street outside. 

To transform into Ann she wore a curly short blonde wig and had on a navy coat and flowery blouse.

She looked hugely emotional and angry as she filmed scenes near the courthouse.

Julie was murdered by William ‘Billy’ Dunlop but jurors failed to find him guilty – twice. 

Sheridan revealed she lost ‘so much weight’ filming The Castaways based on Lucy Clarke’s bestselling novel, in Greece 

Sheridan is also set to appear in the upcoming real-life drama series I Fought The Law, which pictures have shown her looking completely different as she transformed into grieving mother Ann Ming 

Read More Sheridan Smith ‘pulls the plug on tell-all book about her life’

This meant that even when Billy confessed, he could not be trialed again, in accordance with the law at the time.

However, after almost 17 years of campaigning with her husband Charles, who died in 2013, Ann got this law amended, and Billy is currently serving a life sentence.

Julie, who was a mother to three-year-old, Kevin, and a wife to Andrew, was only 22 when she died.

Tragically, Ann found Julie’s body concealed in the bathroom of her terraced house in January 1990, 80 days after it was hidden there by Billy.

This was in spite of extensive searches of the property by police forensics teams in the days after her disappearance, who failed to detect her body.

Her daughter’s killer had strangled and then Sєxually mutilated Julie, before hiding her body under the bath in her own house.

Ann, now in her late 70s, is acting as a consultant throughout the production process of I Fought The Law. 

She looked a far cry from her usual self (Sheridan pictured in April)

She said: ‘My daughter’s killer was wrongfully acquitted, and a number of years later confessed to her murder, for which he could only be prosecuted for perjury due to the 800-year-old Double Jeopardy Law.

‘I wasn’t going to let this stand in my way of getting justice for Julie. I’m overwhelmed that Sheridan Smith will be playing me.

‘Having such an iconic and talented actress portray me is truly wonderful.’

Speaking about the role, Sheridan said: ‘I am so honoured to have been asked to play the role of Ann Ming, a mother so determined to fight for justice for her murdered daughter that she spent 15 years campaigning for the Double Jeopardy Law to be changed.’

She added: ‘She is a truly courageous and remarkable woman to whom we all owe a debt of graтιтude.’

What is double jeopardy? 

Double jeopardy is the principle that you can’t go on trial for the same crime more than once. 

Its purpose was designed to protect the innocent against judicial tyranny that could see them convicted arbitrarily, even after being found not guilty by a jury. 

In 2005, the Labour government repealed the law after a number of campaigns, which persuaded senior judges and legal figures that a more nuanced approach was needed to deal with complex cases. 

One of these was a campaign by the family of the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence in 1993.  

Five suspects were charged but not convicted after an initial investigation. 

In 1999, a public inquiry led by Sir William Macpherson concluded that Metropolitan Police was insтιтutionally racist.

As a result he that recommended double jeopardy be repealed in murder cases where extraordinary evidence later emerges.

The law came into effect in 2005, and since then retrials have been allowed in cases where ‘new, compelling, reliable and substantial evidence’ has comes to light.