Character Profile | List of appearances |
Angela Cunningham (formerly Williams) is the ex-wife of Gordon Cunningham and Terry Williams, the mother of Dawn, Jude, Cindy, and Max Cunningham, and the grandmother of Holly and Hilton Cunningham, and Alfie Nightingale
Biography[]
Until 1995: Early Life[]
Angela was the first wife of Gordon Cunningham. The pair married and had four children together: Dawn Cunningham in 1975 (prior to their marriage), Jude Cunningham in 1978, Cindy Cunningham in 1981, and Max Cunningham in 1982. Angela and Gordon's marriage eventually turned sour and the pair went through a messy divorce in 1991, with Gordon moving out and leaving the kids with Angela. At the same time, Dawn had an affair with Jack Osborne - the father of her best friend Ruth - and fell pregnant, giving birth to a daughter who she put up for adoption. A couple of years later, Jude decided to leave the village for London.
1995-1996: Scam Marriage and Cancer[]
Gordon and Angela's messy divorce affected their children, who wanted to have a relationship with both their mother and father. Angela began a relationship with Terry Williams, despite her children's' dislike for his creepy behaviour. Angela refused to listen when her children attempted to talk her out of marrying Terry, and accepted his marriage proposal. Jude returned to the village in March 1996 and shared Dawn's issues with Terry, but her words also fell on deaf ears.
After Gordon decided to go for custody over Max and Cindy, his already strained relationship with Angela was pushed further - especially when Terry began meddling to make things worse. Meanwhile, Angela discovered a lump on her breast and had a biopsy, later being informed that she needed to have a masectomy merely days before her wedding. After marrying Terry, Terry disappeared, leaving Angela with his £55,000 debt. She was visited by Jane Wilson, one of 'Terry''s wives, who revealed that he was actually a conman.
1996-1999: Family Troubles[]
The Cunningham family began to fall apart as Angela was left saddled with Terry's debts in her recovery, Jude developed alcoholism and Dawn was diagnosed with leukemia. Angela and Gordon put their feud aside and Gordon ended up moving in with the family. Dawn died from her illness on Christmas Day, but at her funeral, Cindy collapsed after developing a post-natal infection. After being informed by a doctor that Cindy had given birth, Angela and Gordon tracked down the baby - named Holly - to a nearby hospital. The pair forced Cindy to raise Holly, who - after recovering from post-natal depression - came to love the baby.
Angela did not take well to Gordon's relationship with Helen Richardson, nor Cindy's relationship with decorator Sean Tate. After Cindy allowed Sean to move in at 12 Tatton Crescent, Cindy and Angela's relationship came under strain. Sean eventually became abusive towards Holly, so Angela evicted him. Cindy ended up taking Holly to Wales with her and Sean to live in a caravan park. Angela and Gordon attempted to retrieve Holly but to no avail, until Sean left to work on a job in Tenerife in December 1999, leaving Cindy and Holly behind.
1999-2008: Departure and Aftermath[]
With Gordon and Helen now married and expecting a baby together, Angela decided to move out, leaving Cindy with Gordon but taking Max with her. Cindy visited Angela in her new flat in January 2000, whilst Max decided that he wanted to stay with Gordon later in the year. After Gordon and Helen were killed in a car accident in February 2004, Angela attended their funeral. She also attended Max's wedding to Clare Cunningham in July 2006, Max's wedding to Steph Dean in June 2008, and Max's funeral in July 2008. She - however - did not attend Cindy's weddings to Tony Hutchinson in 2009 and 2012, Alistair Longford in 2010, nor Dirk Savage in 2015 and 2018, which a disappointed Cindy recalled in March 2023.
Appendices[]
Residences[]
Address | Duration |
---|---|
12 Tatton Crescent | Until 1999 |
Unknown | Since 1999 |
Employment History[]
Job | Duration |
---|---|
Trauma counsellor | Unknown |
Background Information[]
Quotes[]