Gavin & Stacey star James Corden's life off screen with wife, incredible net worth and upcoming roles

James Corden is reprising his role as the iconic Smithy in Gavin & Stacey: The Finale episode on Christmas Day. The English actor has been playing the beloved character on the BBC sitcom for nearly two decades.

Within those years, Smithy has been famous for his Indian takeaway rant, turning up to Nessa and Dave Coaches' wedding unannounced and being a loyal friend to Gavin 'Gavlar' Shipman. The role arguably shot Corden to fame, paving the way for more acting roles and even a stint in Hollywood.

Since bursting onto the scene over two decades ago, Corden has received the love and affection of many fans across the world. This Christmas, he will be saying a fond farewell to his character, Smithy, and to the show's beloved fans in the last ever episode. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.

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Family life

46-year-old James Corden grew up in Buckinghamshire, to a musician father, who eventually became a salesman, and a social worker mother. During the Table Manners podcast with Jessie Ware and Lennie Ware recently, in which we took part in the episode alongside fellow Gavin & Stacey's star Ruth Jones, he revealed that one of his sisters was also a social worker.

His acting career began when he was just 18 years old, when he had a very small part in a musical called Martin Guerre in 1996. From 200 until 2005, he starred in the television series Fat Friends as Jamie Rymer. It was during this series that he met Ruth Jones, who was his fellow cast member and future writing partner for Gavin & Stacey.

In 2004, he began playing the role of Timms in the original London stage production of Alan Bennett's play, The History Boys, which he starred alongside fellow English actor Dominic Cooper. The two became friends and lived together for several years.

It was through Cooper that James Corden met his future wife, Julia Carey. The two started dating in 2009, with the couple tying the knot three years later. By now, the two are parents to three children - their son Max, and two daughters called Carey and Charlotte. In many interviews, Corden has affectionately called his wife 'Jules'.

Why did he move back to the UK?

After Corden announced he was leaving The Late Late Show over in the US in April 2022, a few months later, he revealed that family life had played a big part in his decision. In an interview with Extra, he said: "My kids are getting older, their grandparents are getting older, and it perhaps just felt like the right time for us as a family to be freer in our decisions".

In an interview with Howard Stern on SiriusXM, he further confirmed that the "absolute crux" of his decision to move back to the UK came down to where he and his wife wanted to raise their children. He said: "If I allow myself to think about the financial aspects of walking away, it makes my chest tight".

He continued: "I get it. To be able to call my dad on Thursday and say, 'What are you doing today? Do you want to go for lunch?'. That is a feeling that I'll just never ever get back [because one day] the phone is going to ring, and that option is not going to be there anymore. To have missed out on those moments in exchange for money doesn’t feel like a good decision."

The family has now returned to the UK and seemingly maintains a very close bond with his family. Ahead of Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, the actor alongside Ruth Jones and his fellow Gavin & Stacey cast members took over BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show on Monday morning, December 23.

While hosting the radio show, he revealed that he had received a sweet message from his dad, which had clearly made the actor emotional. Corden said: "I've got a message from my dad". He continued: "He's put this, he said - it's actually made me quite emotional, he said: 'Loving the show. Me and mum getting ready to go over and see grandma.

"Can you send out a shout out to all of the staff at Brentwood Care Centre? And also Leanne Cole, who is the lady who takes care of grandma'. I think it's probably good to mention all of the care workers that are looking after people on Christmas Day, and to everybody there, celebrating with my grandma. I hope you have a lovely day."

What is James Corden's net worth?

Following from The History Boys, Corden shot to fame with his role as Smithy in BBC's comedy series Gavin & Stacey, which he co-wrote with Ruth Jones. The series was first aired in 2007 and became an instant success across the UK and further afield.

Since then, the actor has amassed incredible wealth over the years. It has been reported that Corden has a whopping £50million in the bank, thanks to his chat show and his own company.

Corden become a TV legend in the UK after playing the role of Smithy, before he decided to move across the pond to Los Angeles to host the Late Late Show, which he fronted for seven years. He was reportedly paid between £4-7million for hosting the popular chat show.

In 2023, his company made a cool £32.4 million, with James's bit of the company worth about £28 million. On top of this, his glamorous house in Los Angeles is worth a tremendous amount, reportedly between £7.5 million and £10 million. He sold his house in London for around £6 million.

Upcoming roles

When he is not hosting The Late Late Show or appearing as Smithy in Gavin & Stacey, James Corden has taken on various acting roles over the years in films and on stage. His most notable film work includes starring as The Baker in Into the Woods in 2014, as well as voicing the character of Biggie in Trolls in 2016 and Peter Rabbit in the 2018 Peter Rabbit film, as well as its sequel Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway in 2021.

According to IMDB, his upcoming roles include voicing the character of Billy in Animal United 2: The Chilldown, which is set to be released in 2025, as well as The Smurfs Movie and The Christophers, which are currently in production. More than recently, Corden has acting on stage in the play The Constituent at The Old Vic in London, in which he starred alongside Motherland and Line of Duty star Anna Maxwell Martin.

The actor will also be starring in the last ever episode of Gavin & Stacey, which will be aired on Christmas Day (Wednesday, December 25). Many fans champing at the bit to find out how the beloved series concludes. Last time we saw the Gavin & Stacey characters was five years ago, back in another Christmas Special, which aired in 2019, where Nessa got down on one knee and asked Smithy to marry her. You can find out more about the airdate, teaser, trailer and what the cast members have said so far here.

While appearing on The Graham Norton Show on Friday evening, December 20, the actor revealed that the show's fans will know it will be the last ever episode "without question" after detailing how difficult the episode was to write.

The actor said: "It was quite pressured and hard to think about how to make the end satisfying to the audience and to the characters. Ruth and I got together on our own and it was only when we thought we had a story – about 70 pages into a 100-page script – that's when we called the BBC." When asked by Irish chat show host Graham Norton if this really was the last ever episode, James replied: "It's very hard to talk about because there are so many spoilers but when people watch it on Christmas, they will see why it will be, without question, the last time you will see these characters."

Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will air on BBC One from 9pm on Christmas Day and will also be available on BBC iPlayer.