Child stars often have a rough time years later but one British boy has flourished into someone quite unrecognisable these days!

My Family was one of the BBC's most popular comedy sitcoms from the early noughties through to 2011 and followed the fun antics and family hijinx of the Harper family.

But Gabriel Thomson, who is now 36 and has ditched his glasses and floppy hair, looks completely different. Looking dapper on his Twitter profile wearing a red velvet suit and displaying chiseled cheekbones, the actor has left fans shocked.

The show feature mum Susan, played by Zoe Wanamaker, and dad Ben, played by Robert Lindsay and their three children, eldest son Nick, daughter Janey Harper and Michael, played by Gabriel.

Fans applauded his acting skills as the geeky teenager turned wheeler dealer who eventually came out as gay. He was also the only Harper child to appear in every series.

Over a decade after the last episode showed the star has been busy studying at King's College in London with plans to become a human rights lawyer.

That might not have been the case if the star had landed the role of Harry Potter, but he was pipped to the post by Daniel Radcliffe at audition stage.

Gabriel did briefly dip his toes back into the acting pond in 2020 to star in a small budget horror called A Little More Flesh.

His co-stars have gone on to much bigger things in the acting world, with some tackling Hollywood and others heading for the West End.

Fans will recognise Zoe, 73, from the Harry Potter franchise where she played Rolanda Hooch, a Quidditch referee and flying instructor for first-year students at the magic school Hogwarts, and from Agatha Christie's Poirot.

My Family dad actor, Robert, went onto to perform on stage at the West End and makes an appearance in 2019 blockbuster Disney hit, Maleficient: Mistress of Evil, starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning.

Brother Nick, played by telly fave Kris Marshall, has acted in many family favourites over the years from top detective in Death in Paradise, to his earlier and hilarious days on Love Actually and Father Christmas is Back.

Taking it further back though, eagle-eyed fans might even recognise a young Gabriel from his very early days, pre-My Family.

He played Pip in the BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and even starred in an iconic Frosties TV advert.

Fans can catch old episodes of My Family on BBC iPlayer now.

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