Corrie's Andrew Lancel's life – hit music career, stunning wife and homelessness link

He is best known for playing the role of DI Neil Manson in The Bill from 2003 to 2010 and villainous businessman Frank Foster on Coronation Street back in 2011.

And it’s clear to see Andrew Lancel’s complex characters have had their fair share of drama during the course of his time on the action-packed shows.

But they’re not the only ones who have undergone a series of big changes over the years as the northern actor has gone on to live quite the wild lifestyle since he his soap days behind him.

Now, the Daily Star has taken a deep dive into what the 51-year-old has been up to since his dramatic departure from the show.

Family life

Andrew married his wife Lousie Edge back in 2005 where the happy couple went on to welcome two beautiful children.

The happy couple have a beautiful son Isaac two years later and a daughter named Freya where they live in the heart of Liverpool.

According to idolnetworth.com, the TV actor has a staggering net worth of £716,447 ($950,000) from his established career as a TV actor.

However, the doting dad prefers to keep his family life out of the press as he continues to separate his TV success from his home life.

TV Career

Andrew first shot to stardom back in 2003 when he took on the role of D.I. Neil Manson which he played for more than seven years on the show.

Throughout the show, his menacing character jumped at the chance to discredit his colleague DCI Jack Meadows wherever possible.

He quickly became a popular character viewers loved to hate as he regularly spouted his sexist attitudes around the precinct which made working with female officers including DC Eva Sharpe difficult.

And Neil had his fair share of trials and tribulations on the show, as he attempted to take charge of the station as CID, found himself framed for murder, and was heavily involved in finding a missing child named Amy Tennant which took him more than a year to track down.

And it didn’t look much better for his personal life either, as Neil quickly became involved in an affair with undercover reporter Andrea Dunbar which eventually broke down his marriage.

His former father-in-law Deputy Assistant Commissioner Roy Person also put him in more than one awkward situation after he discovered that the Commissioner was using rent boys.

But it was when Neil’s young son, Jake became ill with Leukaemia that the officer’s world fell apart, which forced him to take a break from the force to focus on his family life.

But that wasn’t his only successful TV role, as the star quickly moved onto the Cobbles less than one year later where he took on the role of wicked villain Frank Foster.

During his time in Weatherfield, the serial entrepreneur quickly became involved in the shady deals of the Underworld as he battled Carla Connor for control of the factory.

However, the evil criminal soon showed his true colours as he went on to sexually assault Carla’s PA Maria Connor.

But his reign of terror didn’t last long before he was murdered in a dramatic whodunnit where it was later revealed his mother Anne Foster killed him in cold blood.

His performance as Frank went on to win the actor the Villain of the Year Award at the British Soap Awards in 2010 before he left the show.

Music career

Outside of his TV career, the dad-of-two has gone on to establish quite the music career through his various musical theatre roles across his career.

The established actor started out his career in local theatres as a cabaret singer before he made landed his breakthrough role in the medical series Cardiac Arrest in 1994.

Since then, the actor has gone on to perform his own one-man show up and down the country and soon went on to perform in mind-blowing venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London.

After he left his TV days behind him, the northern actor threw himself into the theatre business where he later took on the lead role of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of. Music.

The popular musical has toured the country twice since he has held the highly sought-after role where he has performed alongside beloved actress Emilie Fleming and Lucy O’Bryne.

Now, the actor has been working hard to support restore Liverpool’s theatre industry with his new production, the bittersweet comedy Swan Song where he stars in the leading role of Cameron.

Homelessness link

But that’s not the only way the established actor has been helping out in his local community as the doting dad backed the homelessness charity Paper Cup Project back in June 2021.

The charity aims to help support people across the region who have experienced homelessness and offer work experience opportunities working in a coffee shop in order to help them get back on their feet again.

He told Liverpool Business News at the time: “I am hugely proud to be part of this incredible and important project in Liverpool.

“The work done by the Paper Cup Project team is vital and important.

“I look forward to seeing the charity taking the next step by offering opportunities to people who may otherwise find it difficult to access support.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk