A reclining seating unit includes: a base; a seat having a seat frame; a gliding unit configured to allow the seat to reciprocate relative to the base; a backrest mounted and pivotally interconnected to the seat frame; a footrest unit; a reclining mechanism attached to the seat and the backrest, the reclining mechanism configured to control relative movement of the seat and backrest between upright and reclined positions; a footrest mechanism attached to the seat and the footrest unit, the footrest mechanism configured to control relative movement of the footrest unit and the seat between retracted and extended positions, the footrest mechanism being decoupled from the reclining mechanism; a first linear actuator attached to the reclining mechanism and to the seat configured to move the seat and backrest between the upright and reclined positions; and a second linear actuator attached to the footrest mechanism and to the seat frame configured to move the footrest unit between the retracted and extended positions.