Corrie’s Jennie McAlpine life away from ITV cobbles – rival role to intimate wedding
As Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine's maternity leave comes to an end, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside her life as she returns to the ITV cobbles
Jennie McAlpine first walked onto the ITV cobbles back in 2001 when she took on the character of Fiz Dobbs.
And it didn’t take long before the auburn beauty won over the hearts of the nation on Coronation Street. Over the years, viewers have watched the fiery favourite grow from being a troubled teen to a doting mother.
Across the 23 years on the longest-running soap, Fiz has been involved in some of the soap’s most explosive storylines. Some of her most memorable included a murder cover-up, a terrifying premature birth and Tyrone’s heartbreaking affair.
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Last April, the TV star took a break from the famous Street to give birth to her third child with her husband Chris Farr. Now, the actress is back on the famous Manchester set and will return to our screens next month.
As her maternity leave comes to an end, Daily Star has taken a deep dive inside her life.
Rival soap role
Hailing from the heart of Bury, Lancashire, Jennie first debuted on our screens on 1999 at the age of 17. But what many viewers may be surprised to know is that Coronation Street wasn’t the first soap she worked on.
The TV star has always wanted to be an actress, and she made quick work of making her dreams come true. At a young age she joined the Carol Godby Theatre which gave her the foundations to become the impressive actor she is today.
After she finished high school, the doting mum landed her first major acting job with her ITV rival, Emmerdale. Before she arrived in Weatherfield, the auburn beauty appeared in three episodes of Emmerdale as teenager Michelle Morley.
Following her success on the Yorkshire show, Jennie went on to land her now famous role as Fiz just one year later.
Love at first sight
Four years after she joined the star-studded cast, Jennie finally met her future husband back in 2005 after her famous wingman introduced them. At a cast and crew party, her co-star Antony Cotton – who plays Sean Tully – introduced her to well respected professional chef Chris.
It didn’t take long for sparks to fly between the pair as their relationship blossomed behind closed doors. The couple were together for more than a decade before Chris got down on one knee and popped the question.
But their relationship has proved the test of time as they remain stronger than ever seven years on.
Secret wedding
Despite becoming a firm favourite on the soap, Jennie opted for an intimate wedding to her beau. The happy coupled tied the knot in January 2017 away from prying eyes.
In an effort to keep their wedding low-key, the two love birds made things official at the Trafford Town Hall. For their special day, they decided to only have their son Albert and two witnesses present for the ceremony.
The happy couple announced the exciting news of their nuptials to their adoring followers weeks later. They shared a sweet snap of the pair holding hands as they flaunted their wedding bands to the camera.
She captioned the post: “So we went to Trafford Town Hall earlier this week and had a bit of a special day.” After their intimate celebration, the newlyweds darted off to a farm in Wales for an adorable honeymoon with their son.
Speaking about their big day on Loose Women, the TV star gushed: “Secret isn’t the word. Surprise is the word. We just wanted it so that our parents knew.
“My dad knows me and that’s what I would have done. Somebody said to me, ‘Weren’t your friends really annoyed?’ and I thought, ‘No. I haven’t got any friends that would be annoyed with me’.
“I love a good wedding and I hope that I’m invited. For myself I just wanted it low key. I didn’t want to be the centre of attention.”
Mum’s the word
It was in 2017 that fans got to see more of Jennie’s family life outside of the show when she appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and made it all the way to the final. During her time on the show, the Coronation Street star was heartbroken to miss her son’s third birthday while she was on the show.
Fans couldn’t help but fall in love with the little one when Chris flew the pair out to Australia to greet his mum at the end of the rope bridge. After three weeks in the Australian jungle, the ITV star finished in fourth place.
Since then, the happy couple have only gone from strength to strength. Jennie and Chris went on to welcome their second child Hilda in October 2018, followed by their third child, Doris, last April.
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Speaking to OK! magazine, the TV star revealed that all her children are named after Coronation Street characters. She told the publication: “Doris is a family name and I love that it goes with Albert and Hilda.
They’re also very ‘Corrie’. The actress who played the first Rovers landlady, Annie Walker, was called Doris Speed so there’s obviously something in my DNA that means these baby names keep happening!
“People have said before that Albert and Hilda sound like two childhood sweethearts writing to each other during the way. Now Doris is the aunty who’s come to join them.”