| Character Profile | List of appearances |
Thomas Gordon "Tom" Cunningham is the biological son of Helen and Gordon Cunningham, the adoptive son of Frankie and Jack Osborne, the half-brother of Lewis and Mandy Richardson, Dawn, Jude, Max and Cindy Cunningham, the adoptive foster brother of Newt and Jade Albright, the adoptive half-brother of Ruth and Darren Osborne, Bethany Johnson, Brian Bloom, Jake, Craig and Debbie Dean, and Steph Roach, the husband of Yasmine Maalik and the father of Steph Cunningham-Lomax. He is also the founder of the daycare group, Tom's Turtles and the co-owner of both The Cunningham Grande Bazaar and Park Café.
Biography[]
1999-2009: Early Life[]
Tom was born to his mother Helen and father Gordon Cunningham during Millennium Eve from his very early days Tom is seen in the background of many family tragedies during his childhood the first being the death of his half brother, Lewis in October 2001 and by February 2004, Helen and Gordon are tragically killed in a car accident which Tom was also involved in but survives this leads to Tom having to be then looked after by his older half sister, Mandy however Mandy is unable to cope looking after Tom and ends up giving up her rights as Tom's legal guardian and hands Tom over to Tom's other half brother, Max and Tom is brought up in a flat with Max and Max's best friend O.B. but by March 2005 after accidentally causing a house fire and being saved by fireman, Ben Davies, Tom feels it's best he runs away causing panic amongst Max and Mandy and villagers alike as he goes missing for a few days however Tom is later and thankfully found near his parents grave alive and reasonably well. Tom would become slightly confused when Max begins dating Sophie Burton whom is the twin sister of Mel Burton this leads to Max and Sophie having to explain what twins are too Tom however Max and Sophie's relationship does not last long.
Tom would be welcomed by another woman however by 2006 when Max begins dating business woman, Clare Devine whom Tom sees as another figure especially after the tragic death of his niece, Grace Hutchinson in May 2006 however Tom would over hear a conversation between Clare and local businessman, Sean Kennedy in a flirtatious manner and ends up hearing the two kissed, Clare sees Tom and manages to persuade Tom that she and Sean where just "joking around", Tom keeps schtum about what he overheard and Tom would accompany his family to Max's wedding to Clare by July 2006 and Clare would later poison Tom's food in a bid to stop Max aiding her to the fertility clinic causing Tom to fall ill. When Max has a heart attack in November 2006, Tom watches as his brother becomes more ill unaware that Clare is tampering with Max's and by December 2006, Tom would accompany Max and Clare to a log cabin for over Christmas where Clare is plotting to kill Max to get his inheritance money and she ends up using Tom as bait when she tells Max that Tom is drowning in the lake causing Max to dive in the lake only to find that Tom is locked in the back of Clare's car but thankfully as Max sinks to the bottom of the lake O.B. arrives and saves him and Clare is arrested for attempted murder and Tom is told his sorry by Max for putting him in danger when believing Clare over him and O.B., Clare returns by January 2007 and tells Tom his to blame for his parents death and will end up killing Max, upsetting Tom by June 2007, Clare would have Tom taken into care when she lies that his in danger being around Max however Max later manages to convince the social services that Clare is only lying out of spite for him divorcing her and Tom is allowed to move back in with Max.
By October 2007 Tom takes a liking towards, Steph Dean whom would begin to baby sit Tom leading Tom develop a crush towards Steph but would soon resort to jealously when Max and Steph begins to grow close and eventually begin a relationship with one another however Tom would begin to accept the twos relationship later in the same month Tom would be taken on a day out swimming with O.B. but Tom would nearly drown while O.B. flirts with Summer Shaw but is saved by the pools life guard, Simon Crosby and later Gilly Roach accuses Simon of being a paedophile after he sees a picture of Tom in swing gear on his laptop his informs both O.B. and Max but it turns out that Simon is not a paedophile and this causes Max to fall out with O.B. but Tom sets out on making them friends again and he succeeds and by 2008 after being informed by Max his going to propose to Steph, Tom accidentally eats the ring when Max puts it in a hot cross bun this would lead Max having to take Tom to the hospital where he has a x-ray which shows the ring leading to Max asking Steph to marry him and she accepts but tragically the wedding day arrives by June 2008 and Tom begins to play on the road where Niall Rafferty is seen drunk in his car and speed towards Tom in a drunken state this leads Max to run on the road and push Tom out the way causing Niall to hit Max which leads Max to die in the arms of O.B. devastating, Tom along with O.B. and Steph. Tom then remembers what Clare said to him over a year prior that he someday will cause the death of Max this leads Tom to begin to blame himself and think that he killed Max however O.B. manages to explain to Tom that he is in no way to blame for Max's death and what Clare told was nothing more than a manipulative lie.
Tom decides to stay with Steph over Mandy and O.B. and later Max is revealed to have left just over £500,000 for Tom as well as Steph and also his business, MOBS, Tom would then see Steph start a bond and a relationship with Niall but when Niall loses his patience with Tom and grabs him this leads to Steph to put a quick end to their relationship and after staying Steph older sister, Debbie for some weeks after Tom and Steph would return to the village and quickly find out that Niall kidnapped the McQueen family and caused the death of Tina Reilly leading to Steph to book a get Way for her and Tom away from the village for their safety and by November 2008, Tom would accompany Steph along with Steph's younger brother, Craig Dean on a holiday but they are followed by Niall who keeps Tom hostage as well as Steph and Craig but would later kill himself after realising Steph is scared of him, Tom returns to Hollyoaks with Steph soon afterwards by 2009, Tom would attend the local dance classes hosted at The Loft which was hosted by Steph and Sarah Barnes and Tom along with his niece, Holly Cunningham begin to be tormented by Persephone Hart however they manage to resolve the bulling, Tom would later need his stomach pumped when he ends up getting drunk at The Dog in the Pond while being looked after by Darren Osborne, Tom would also begin a close friendship with Gilly Roach whom begins to fall in love with Steph.
2010-2012: Steph's Death & Life with The Osborne's[]
As things seem to be going well for Tom he overhears a conversation between Steph and her friend, Nancy Hayton about Steph's cervical cancer as Tom was unaware that Steph had been diagnosed with the cancer this devastates Tom whom begins to blame himself for Steph having cancer as he still believes the people he loves often die around him but Steph manages to reassure Tom that it's not his fault and she will be absolutely fine however she would be later told that her Cancer is indeed terminal which devastates Tom but he would accompany Steph to her wedding to Gilly where he will in fact sing for his guardian.
Mandy would return by October 2010 in a bid to see Steph over the guardianship of Tom but Tom starts to believe he can see ghosts when he sees, Warren Fox unaware Warren is in fact still alive however Mandy would tell Tom that Warren is dead this still however leads Tom to seek comfort in Steph's mum, Frankie Osborne when he asks Frankie what she thinks happens to people after they die and after Frankie's theory, Tom begins to believe he in fact saw Warren's ghost but Steph would be killed fin a fire orchestrated by Warren which was played out by Dominic Reilly, Steph's death devastates Tom and he would attend Steph's funeral with Gilly and the Osborne's and would watch Steph's farewell video's that she filmed weeks in advance.
Tom would move in with the Osborne's after Mandy temporarily leaves the village following threats from Warren by January 2011, Tom would soon attack an intruder whom he hears in the Kitchen the intruder turns out to be an estranged niece of Frankie's, Esther Bloom whom e da up being hospitalised as a result of Tom hitting her over the head with a baseball bat but Tom would have to deal with Esther being around when she moves in with the Tom and Osborne's and this leads Tom to think having Esther around is strange as his still due to go to court for attacking Esther but Tom would later be cleared of any serious wrongdoing leading to him accepting having Esther around. Tom would also believe Gilly over Jacqui McQueen when its revealed that Gilly had raped Jacqui however by November 2011, Tom is devastated when Gilly admits the truth and then departs the village. Tom would attend Darren and Nancy's wedding by February 2012 and welcome Oscar Osborne to his adopted family. Tome then moves into The Dog after Jack buys back the pub from Riley Costello.
2013: Clare's Return & Feud with Sienna[]
In March 2013, Clare returns to the village and later breaks into The Dog where Tom is confronted by her, Tom is shocked to see Clare whom attempts to kidnap Tom however his thankfully saved by Darren and Clare is later arrested and sent to prison. Tom's trauma doesn't end there as Sienna Blake is later employed by Darren and Nancy as a nannie for Charlie and Oscar this leads to Sienna to fall for Darren and plot to make Nancy look guilty by making Nancy look irresponsible, Tom is first victimised by Sienna when she lies to Darren by stating she caught Tom spying on her and recording her after being in the shower however Tom's mind would go elsewhere when he finds his cam recorder has recorded Sienna putting on her fake bump.
When Tom hints he knows something however he would be kidnapped by Sienna where she will keep him locked in an abandoned home for weeks on end she even tells Tom that Darren is dead because of Tom causing the explosion in the local flats which Tom is unaware it was in fact Clare whom is now dead. To. Attempts to escape but often fails his closest rescue is when Will Savage keeps the whole Savage and Blake family alone with Maxine Minniver and Martha Kane hostage despite the police arriving Tom is unable to be found but Tom would soon find away when he notices a hole in the wall and would slowly pull pieces of the covering it with a poster but Tom would unintentionally set off an alarm which alerts Sienna's half brother, Dodger Savage however Sienna's father, Patrick Blake goes instead and Tom manages to escape and bump into Patrick but again flees, Sienna is then later arrested for her crimes and Tom is happy to learn Darren isn't dead and is delighted when both Jack and Frankie decide to adopt Tom which is successful.
2014-2015: Relationship with Peri & Becoming a Father[]
By 2014, Tom begins to hang around with Peri Lomax and when Sienna is released from her psychiatric ward both Tom and Peri begin to throw a campaign to get Sienna out of Hollyoaks village but both Tom and Peri seem to get know where and come up with the idea to kidnap Peri's cousin, Rose Lomax and set Sienna up for the kidnapping by leaving Rose in Sienna's flat and then call the police but Tom along with Peri decide against the idea when they discover what Patrick did to Sienna (by keeping her locked in her room) as a child, Tom begins to sympathise with Sienna and would eventually come round to forgiven her.
Tom is worried when Peri becomes ill and is devastated to learn that Peri has been suffering from a brain tumour and while Peri is in Hospital, Tom would often visit her and eventually help Peri escape hospital and the two would share a kiss afterwards however Tom is left scared when Peri faints due to her brain tumour which leads Tom to worry when Peri would undergo a life changing operation however his thankful its successful and in a moment of happiness he refers Peri as his girlfriend leading to Peri being thankful towards Tom as she always wanted to be with him as his girlfriend, Tom then waves Peri off as she goes to stay in New Zealand after supporting Peri through the death of her supposed parents in Sam and Danny Lomax in August 2014.
By the end of 2014, Tom continues to support Peri through her grief of losing her grandparents and coming to terms that Leela is her real mother this leads to Tom sleeping with Peri where he and Peri would agree not to say anything about it however, Peri's real father, Cameron Campbell, finds texts of Tom and Peri talking about they're encounter leading him to confront Tom and Peri in School in front of pupils leaving the both embarrassed that every now knows they have had sex and Tom would be left stunned when he learns that Peri is pregnant with his child and the two consider adoption however Tom would come round of being against the idea of putting his child up for adoption and Tom would see a video of Cameron confessing that he killed Sam and Danny leading Tom to blackmail Cameron into help him stop Peri give their unborn child up however by September 2015, Tom would become a father to a baby girl and he and Peri would name her, Steph Cunningham-Lomax in memory of Tom's former guardian, Steph Roach.
Tom would then be targeted by Peri by online bullying and Tom would discover that Peri left baby Steph at a doorstep of one of Leela's family members and Tom would be furious with Peri however he would soon discover that Peri is suffering from post-natal depression leading him to be more sympathetic towards Peri.
2016: Alfie and Jade, Nico's Murder Attempts, Jude's Return & Staged Disappearance[]
Tom would make friends with Alfie Nightingale however things would take an unexpected turn for the two when Tom discovers that he is in fact Alfie's uncle as Cindy is Alfie's biological mother however despite this the two would remain friends with one another. Tom would also befriend, Jade Albright whom would move in with Tom and the Osborne family and Tom would end up having support Alfie and Jade after they are both diagnosed with Cancer and this leads Tom to develop very strong feelings for Jade in which Peri notices but despite having developed feelings for Jade, Tom would help his nephew, Alfie get into a relationship with Jade but Alfie's father, Mac Nightingale stops them going any further.
Due to Tom liking Jade it leads to Nico trying to poison Tom as well as her and Peri bully Jade, Tom is angry with Peri when he discovers that she had been bullying Jade leading him to stop Peri from seeing Steph, Tom would come face to face with his estranged older sister, Jude Cunningham by September 2016 and Tom is unwelcoming towards Jude for never being there for him as a child threw ordeals such as their parents and Max's deaths, however when Jude explains to Tom that back in 1998 she had no choice but to flee the village in an effort to escape getting arrested for multiple fraud scams but Tom's mind would go elsewhere when he discovered that Jade and sadly succumbed to her cancer. Tom is pleased when he feels Jude is making an effort when she sets up a Halloween event known as Halloween Spooktacular however Tom would soon discover it's another one of Jude's scams and she planned to take the money but Tom would be confronted by a furious Nico who blames Tom for stopping her and Peri becoming very close, Tom is then attacked by Nico but is saved by Jude and while in hospital, Tom and Peri make up.
In December 2016, Tom along with the Osborne's fake they're disappearance in an effort to get away from Jack's revengeful niece, Eva Falco leading O.B. to return to investigate on Eva, Tom then returns to the village with the rest of his family and he is shocked to learn that Jack along with his older brother and Eva's father, Billy Brodie killed a young child back in 1968 by beating him to death and after weeks of going untaxed and wanting to see baby Steph, Tom with his family move back to the village.
2017-2018: Near Deaths, Frankie's Death, Cindy's Scam & Milo[]
In May 2017, Tom along with his friends are involved in a car crash leading Tom too scared to drive however with the help of Lily, Tom slowly begins to feel safe when driving and in October 2017 during Jade's memorial Tom would attend the event at Hollyoaks High but the school would end up exploding thanks to Mac leading to death of Neeta Kaur, Tom would be left heartbroken once again after the death of his Foster mother, Frankie when dies due to a stroke. Tom would later be scammed by Cindy after he refuses to give her any of his inheritance money for her to set up a new business but would bet on a greyhound and loses the money leaving Tom furious and move back in with the Osborne.
By June 2017, Tom would meet Milo Entwistle whom moves in Cindy's as a new lodger however Tom and Cindy are totally unaware that Milo was the one responsible for their parents death back in February 2004 but Tom would discover the truth by August 2018 after the death of Cindy's husband, Dirk Savage and when Cindy escapes after being held captive by Milo, Tom confronts Milo who explains to Tom that he wanted to protect him and his family from Cindy and any other danger and if Tom wants him out his life then he accepts that it's at that moment a car falls from a crane and Milo pushes Tom out of harm's way but luckily he avoid being crushed and after his hospitalized, Tom orders Milo to leave him and his family alone which Milo would agree too.
2019-2022: Relationship & Marriage with Yasmine Maalik[]
Tom would soon begin to grow close with Yasmine Maalik whom he would end up developing very strong feelings for the two would end up sleeping together and end up into a relationship as Tom would support Yasmine and her Maalik family when they began to be targeted by far-right leaders, Stuart Sumner and Jonny Baxter whom have also recruited, Ste Hay and thanks to a bomb being planted in their home, Tom and Yasmine's family support Yasmine when she goes temporarily deaf. Later Tom would be against Yasmine's friendship with rapist, Finn O'Connor. By 2020, Tom would marry Yasmine during the COVID pandemic. In 2021, Tom's marriage to Yasmine is often tested especially by January 2022 when Tom kisses, Cher McQueen but despite Tom given the cold shoulder by Yasmine the two would eventually sort they're issues out and soon would begin to rent the rooms of their house to their friends such as, Romeo, Prince, Imran and Juliet. Tom would also support Yasmine over Imran's me talking health issues such as his eating disorder.
Appendices[]
Residences[]
Employment History[]
Background Information[]
Introduction Sequence[]
- 2016-2018: Tom swirls around with Peri and then waves at the camera.
- 2018: Tom joins Alfie on a couch, then Peri jumps on.
- 2018-2019: Tom has a pillow fight with Alfie, Peri, and Harley.
- 2019: Tom toasts marshmallows with Harley and Peri. (Harley replaced with Steph following her exit)
- 2019-2022: Tom watches a kite on the City Wall with Cindy, Steph and Hilton.
- 2022-: Tom writes on a clipboard, before being interrupted by Yasmine Maalik placing a takeaway bag on top.
Quotes[]
See Also[]
Gallery[]
| Current Characters |
|---|
| Tony Hutchinson • Cindy Cunningham • Jack Osborne • Darren Osborne • Tom Cunningham • Nancy Osborne • Suzanne Ashworth • Ste Hay • Mercedes McQueen • Warren Fox • John Paul McQueen • Charlie Dean • Leah Barnes • Nana McQueen • Theresa McQueen • Lucas Hay • Diane Hutchinson • Liberty Savage • JJ Osborne • Frankie Osborne • Joel Dexter • Marie Fielding • Maxine Minniver • Sienna Blake • Freddie Roscoe • Peri Lomax • Leela Lomax • Cleo McQueen • Scott Drinkwell • Sally St. Claire • James Nightingale • Goldie McQueen • Hunter McQueen • Prince McQueen • Misbah Maalik • Sharon Bailey • Pearl Anderson • Ethan Williams • Dave Chen-Williams • Lizzie Chen-Williams • Mason Chen-Williams • Zoe Anderson • Zain Rizwaan • Freya Calder • Norma Crow • Vicky Grant • Beau Ramsey • Dillon Ray • Dilly Harcourt • Carter Shepherd • Andre Clark • Kitty Draper • Abe Fielding • Donny Clark |