Samantha Kate Winward (born 12 October 1985) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Katie Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale between 2001 and 2015.

Winward was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. She attended Turton High School in Bromley Cross, South Turton.

Winward was engaged to footballer David Dunn. Their daughter, Mia, was born at home in Edgworth, Lancashire on 12 June 2005.^[1] Winward and Dunn split in September of that year.^[2]

At age 15, Winward began appearing as Katie Sugden in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. A year after her debut in July 2001, she was nominated for "Most Popular Newcomer" at the National Television Awards.^[3] In November 2014, Winward announced that she would leave Emmerdale after 13 years to pursue other projects.^[4] Her character died onscreen in February 2015.^[5]

In January 2006, Winward participated in the first series of the reality singing competition Soapstar Superstar, finishing in tenth place. Later that year, she was voted #73 on FHM's list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World.^[6]

On the second season of ITV's crime thriller series Prey, Winward appeared as the heavily pregnant Lucy, whose father (Philip Glenister) goes on the run after finding himself on the wrong side of the law. In their review of the second season's third episode, which aired in December 2015, Cultbox commented, "Glenister and [Winward] make a convincing father and daughter pairing and, despite limited screen time, Winward does make you really feel Lucy's distress and fear".^[7]

In 2023, Winward played Sonia Sutcliffe—wife of serial killer Peter Sutcliffe—in the critically acclaimed true crime miniseries, The Long Shadow,^[8] which marked her return to television after working as an acting teacher.^[9]