Tracy Beaker reunion as two show legends enjoy surprise hangout after starring in spin-off together
TRACY Beaker stars Dani Harmer and Chris Slater have shared details of their surprise reunion six years after they were last on screen together.
Dani, who is best known for playing title character Tracy Beaker while Chris portrayed Frank Matthews, another kid left at The Dumping Ground.
It’s now been six years since CBBC’s Tracy Beaker spin-off The Dumping Ground ended, as Chris hasn’t gone on to appear in any further instalments of the franchise.
However, he has reunited with friend Dani off-screen.
Dani shared details of their surprise reunion on her Instagram Story, posting a selfie of the pair alongside Chris’ fiancé.
The snap showed the trio grinning as they spent time catching up in a cafe over a refreshing glass of Pepsi.
“Well that was a bloody lovely catch up with Chris Slater and his lovely fiancé Sam! Let’s do it again soon,” Dani wrote alongside the picture.
From 2002 to 2012, Dani starred in five series of The Story of Tracy Beaker, as well as a feature-length film Tracy Beaker’s Movie of Me, and three series of Tracy Beaker Returns, all of which followed her life in a care home she dubbed The Dumping Ground.
The latter is where she met Chris, who played the role of Frank. He appeared in Tracy Beaker Returns from 2010 to 2012 before starring in its spin-off show The Dumping Ground between 2013 and 2018.
He became one of the franchise’s longest serving stars thanks to his almost decade-long stint on the shows.
While Chris hasn’t acted since The Dumping Ground, Dani has continued to expand the Tracy Beaker universe.
She returned to play her iconic character in the mini series My Mum Tracy Beaker in 2021, which introduced her TV daughter Jess (Emma Maggie Davis).
The pair then teamed up for three series of The Beaker Girls, a spin-off about the mother and daughter duo enjoying their new life by the seaside. That is, until the arrival of teenage runaway Jordan (Chi-Megan Ennis-Mclean), which changes everything for the Beaker Girls.
Chris has been living a considerably lower-profile life in the six years since The Dumping Ground ended, but he is still sharing a few details about his life online with fans.
In fact, the actor has found himself loved-up with a childhood fan of the kids’ programme.
Chris’s fiancé, Sam, confirmed the pair were engaged in a series of sweet TikTok videos.
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The BBC hit series followed orphan Tracy and her pals in the ‘Dumping Ground’ children’s home.
- After leaving the show Dani Harmer – who played protagonist Tracy – had a brief singing career after signing a £3m record deal with Universal Music Group. Later, she became a mum to daughter Avarie-Belle Betsy Rachel Brough with her partner Simon Brough before she gave birth to her second child, son Rowan Leon James.
- Chelsie Padley, who played Tracy’s pal Louise Goven, gave up acting after leaving the show and is now a qualified fitness instructor teaching HITT and Zumba, with her own company Fit Peach. Her mantra is “strong is the new skinny” and she regularly shares content flashing her ripped body with her Instagram followers.
- Eagle-eyed fans previously spotted Alicia Hooper, who played troublemaker Amber, auditioning for The Voice UK.
- Montanna Thompson, who played troublesome Justine Littlewood, looked like she hadn’t aged a day as she returned to TikTok. She has starred in a host of other shows including The Last Detective, Sugar Rush, Doctors, Casualty, Close Relations and The Trials Of Jimmy Rose.
- In 2019, eagle-eyed soap fans noticed how Connor Byrne, who played care worker Mike Milligan, played a detective called Geoff in Emmerdale.
- Actor Craig Roberts, who played bandana-wearing Rio Wellard, has since landed a series of high-profile jobs in Hollywood.
Revealing that she had her eye on the CBBC star for some time, she wrote alongside one video: “He isn’t my childhood crush anymore… he’s my fiancé.”
However, for those hoping to see photos from Sam and Chris’ big day, they are in for a long wait.
The bride-to-be revealed in another video that they are not tying the knot for another two years.
The loved-up pair are expecting to marry in 2026 but have already made a start on some wedding preparations.