Julie Hesmondhalgh has starred in a string of high-profile roles but is a very private about her personal life – who is her husband and do they have kids?
Here’s everything you need to know about the beloved actress, currently on screen in Mr Bates Vs The Post Office…
Read more: Julie Hesmondhalgh reveals she still watches Corrie religiously but Hayley ‘had to die’
Who is Julie Hesmondhalgh’s husband Ian Kershaw?
Ian Kershaw is an award-winning writer for television, theatre and radio. He’s previously penned episodes of EastEnders, Death in Paradise, Holby City, Casualty and Shameless to name a few.
Currently, he writes scripts for Julie’s former employer Coronation Street, where he’s been based since 2018. Between 1998 and 2002, Ian also appeared in Corrie as an actor. He’s played several roles on the cobbles, including Malcolm Bradford, Duncan Stott and Mick Crompton.
How did Julie Hesmondhalgh and her husband Ian meet?
He and Julie met back in 1998 after she joined the cast of Coronation Street as Hayley Cropper. He was playing the minor role of Malcolm Bradford at the time. The pair quickly became good friends and ended up on a night out together for a pal’s birthday celebrations.
During the boozy evening, they started flirting outrageously with each other. At one point, Julie even told Ian that she was going to marry him. Clearly her charm worked as the couple ended the night with a kiss.
“I moved in with him on the following Wednesday and I was pregnant within six weeks,” Julie told Notebook magazine. “We went on a road trip across America and I did a pregnancy test on Santa Barbara pier.”
Read more: Julie Hesmondhalgh leads the cast of BBC crime drama The Pact
Does Julie Hesmondhalgh have kids?
Julie and Ian live in Tameside with their two daughters.
Their daughter Martha Mo Kershaw, the eldest, is currently 22 years old.
When did Julie join Corrie?
Back in 1998, the writers thought it would be funny to send Roy Cropper (David Neilson) on a number of blind dates – each one worse than the last. The storyline was set to conclude with the cafe owner falling for a transgender woman without realising it.
“It wasn’t a politically correct one, but this was back in 1998,” Julie told Stella magazine. “To me, that was it. You make people like this woman – understand her – and you say more than any political speech or lobbying.”
Julie went on to play Hayley for 16 years and won six awards along the way.
Read more: Julie Hesmondhalgh and Ian Kershaw got pregnant within weeks of dating
Why did Julie leave Corrie?
Julie’s final scene was watched by more than 9.5 million viewers on January 22 2014. Her character Hayley took her own life – with the help of beloved husband Roy – after a hellish battle with pancreatic cancer.
When Julie announced she was leaving Coronation Street in 2013, she explained she wanted to take on new roles. “The decision to hang up Hayley’s red anorak was a tough one,” she said. “But doing the play at the Royal Exchange made me realise that there’s life in the old dog yet.
“Whatever happens next I’ll always be proudest of lovely Mrs Cropper. In particular what we achieved in changing attitudes to transgender, and in portraying possibly the most loving, faithful and steadfast couple in soap history.”
Since leaving Corrie, Julie has starred in Happy Valley, Broadchurch, Doctor Who, The Trouble With Maggie Cole, The Pact and The A Word.
Where to watch Julie next?
Julie is currently on screen in Mr Bates Vs The Post Office. It comes to an end on ITV1 tomorrow night (January 4).
Lancashire-born actress Julie, 53, portrays Suzanne Sercombe, the partner of Alan Bates.
Alan is a former sub-postmaster who helped form the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance. And the series tells the tale of one of Britain’s greatest miscarriages of justice.
Catch up Mr Bates Vs The Post Office on ITVX now.
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