Scarlett Thomas has hit back at claims she owes her career to family connections, insisting her success comes from hard work rather than opportunities handed to her.
The 17-year-old actress, whose parents Ryan Thomas and Tina O'Brien rose to fame on Coronation Street, addressed the criticism during an appearance on Ami Charlize's Private Story podcast.
"My family have given me loads of chances and they've taught me stuff more than anything," she said.
"They've not put me in places, they've just taught me and I'm so grateful that I've had that."
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Scarlett Thomas denied claims she owes her career to family connections
|The Waterloo Road star suggested much of the backlash stems from jealousy, adding that her family had prepared her for the scrutiny that comes with growing up in the spotlight.
Ms Thomas also revealed she maintains a very small social circle, choosing to keep her personal life tightly guarded.
"I keep my circle very, very small," she explained.
"I have my best friend Summer, who I also met on Waterloo Road, and it's just her and me; I'm so at peace with that and happy with that."
Scarlett Thomas and Adam Thomas | In the BBC revival of Waterloo Road,, the cast features several members of the real-life Thomas family
|BBC
Ms Thomas indicated that assumptions about her background have made it harder to form genuine connections, with some people judging her before getting to know her.
She acknowledged that being in the public eye from a young age has shaped perceptions, with audiences not always recognising how much she has matured.
Her parents met while playing Sarah Platt and Jason Grimshaw on Coronation Street between 2003 and 2009, with Ms Thomas born during their relationship in 2008.
Speculation over nepotism intensified when Ms Thomas joined the revived BBC drama Waterloo Road, particularly as her uncle Adam Thomas was already part of the cast.
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Ryan Thomas publicly congratulated his daughter on signing a record deal
|However, her father has publicly defended her, revealing she went through multiple auditions against other candidates before landing the role of Izzy Charles on her own merit.
"She went through audition after audition," Mr Thomas previously said.
"She earned that part and she got that part off her own back."
Away from acting, Ms Thomas has also begun pursuing a music career after signing a recording contract with Big Family Music earlier this year.
The aspiring singer travelled to Los Angeles with her father to finalise the deal and has since shared glimpses of studio sessions on social media.
With nearly 340,000 followers on TikTok, she has been teasing new material, although no tracks have been officially released.
Scarlett Thomas
|In a previous post addressing critics, she wrote: "God forbid a girl takes the chances she gets."