Tricia Penrose
Soaps

Heartbeat star Tricia Penrose divorces husband Mark Simpkin after 18 years

The actress played barmaid Gina in the long-running drama

Heartbeat legend Tricia Penrose is divorcing her husband Mark Simpkin after 18 years.

The actress, 51, shot to fame playing barmaid Gina Ward in the ITV period drama.

Tricia Penrose to divorce husband
Tricia Penrose to divorce husband Mark Simpkin (Credit: Splash News)

The former couple wed in 2003 in a fairytale ceremony at Adlington Hall, Cheshire. They sold their wedding pictures to Hello! magazine.

Ten years later Tricia wore her wedding dress again for the magazine for a romantic vow renewal.

At the time, she said: “For us it was an opportunity to celebrate how our marriage has grown stronger and stronger.”

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However, eight years later the couple have decided to call it quits.

Tricia and Mark have separated and now live apart in Cheshire.

A source told The Sun: “They decided to go their separate ways after realising they had grown apart and it would be better for everyone.”

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Tricia also appeared in The Royal as well as small roles in Brookside, Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

The star also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 but now works as a travel agent.

She also presents a show on local station Radio Wirral.

Tricia Penrose
The actress now presents a show on Radio Wirral (Credit: Splash News)

Mark is a former television host and actor who had a short stint on Coronation Street.

He gave up his GMTV presenting job to retrain in a very different career.

The former actor set himself up as a funeral director.

Speaking last year, he said: “Walking past a funeral home made me feel uneasy, like the feeling you get when going to the dentist.

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“I now realise that being a funeral director is actually the most rewarding of careers.”

The couple share two children – Freddy and Jake.

Period drama Heartbeat ran from 1992 to 2010 and spawned a hospital themed spin-off The Royal.

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